It is impossible to find a baby in cabbage, but vitamins, amino acids and antioxidants are abundant in this vegetable. The main thing is not to lose them in cooking and find the most beneficial recipes for each type of cabbage in terms of taste and benefits.
Cauliflower
The cabbage resembles a snow-white bud in a rosette of leaves.
This bud has so much vegetable protein and fiber that cauliflower dishes are as nutritious as chicken. It’s not for nothing that cabbage dishes are in vogue today, especially among vegetarians: the cabbage is cut into delicate steaks, fried like regular steaks, and served with some fresh sauce like pesto or curry.Cauliflower steak with pesto sauce – a fashionable, delicious and nutritious dish
Also trending is “cauliflower rice,” cauliflower chopped finely in a blender on impulse, which can be used to make risotto, use it as a gluten-free pasta or pizza dough, mixed with cheese or egg to make it sticky. Like real rice, cabbage rice absorbs sauces and flavors easily, and it makes believable Japanese rolls and stuffed pepper toppings. In addition, this imitation has a full complement of vitamins: calcium, magnesium, potassium, manganese, the entire group of B vitamins, especially important for building immunity, and “beauty vitamin” E. There are also quite unique benefits in cauliflower, such as sulforaphane, which can regulate blood pressure and eliminate toxins, prevent diabetes, reduce the risk of stomach ulcers and retinal degeneration. The main thing is not to spoil and not to overcook this beauty: after 10 minutes of cooking only 20% of vitamins will disappear, and in half an hour – all 70%. Therefore, the most useful way is to eat the florets raw, for example, introducing them into a green salad, they have quite a rich taste – creamy and grassy at the same time.
Peking cabbage.
The main advantage of the loose, cylindrical-shaped cabbage (also known as petsai or Chinese lettuce) is its juiciness.
It may lack an expressive flavor, but it has plenty of burly crunch. And the juice itself is not water at all. Fiber, vitamins A, B, E and K, as well as copper, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc and iodine are its contribution to our diet. Ascorbic acid in this cabbage is more than in any other. On the contrary, it has less calories – only 12 kcal per 100 grams, and thanks to its juiciness Peking cabbage is good for blunting hunger and satiety. Citric acid, also present in Chinese cabbage, is a natural antioxidant. Together with vitamin E it slows down aging processes, improves skin elasticity and fights small wrinkles. And the unexpressive taste… it can be tweaked and enhanced. Simply combine the petsai with more colorful elements in the salad – pear, pineapple, smoked duck, some fragrant cheese and herbs – mint, tarragon, basil.Peking cabbage stuffing has no characteristic cabbage flavor
Beijing cabbage is also suitable for hot dishes, and it is especially good with some delicate stuffing – minced veal or chicken. There is practically no need to boil the leaves of Beijing cabbage. It is enough to throw them in boiling water to make them pliable, and cabbage rolls with their participation will not have a characteristic cabbage smell.
Young Cabbage
It seems that late fall cabbage and young, spring cabbage are two completely different entities.
The first is dense and coarse, the second looks like a firm green salad sprout. The benefits of youthfulness include record levels of vitamin C (55% of the daily dose) and potassium, which, along with magnesium and sodium, ensures healthy heart function. And with a minimum of sucrose and starch, unlike mature cabbage.Young cabbage gives a special consistency and flavor to the soup
Green loose cauliflower is best used in light fresh soups and salads, in the most simple and cheerful combinations – with carrots, apples, celery, dill. In dressings take vegetable oil, it will not weigh down the composition. The less exposed to young leaves – the tastier it will turn out. The most gourmet way is to cut the cabbage into segments and quickly fry in breadcrumbs. With its crispy freshness this simple side dish will make even meat and fish more delicious on the plate.
And do not forget about sauerkraut, sour cabbage is the oldest method of food preservation, which produces natural probiotics, live compounds that support intestinal health, strengthen the body’s immune response to bacterial and fungal infections, and also help to fight against loss of strength and depression. Sauerkraut is comparable to fresh cabbage in its vitamin content, and even surpasses it in the amount of vitamin A, which is responsible for the health of new cells in the body. It is much easier to digest, gently stimulates digestion and helps to cope with heavy fatty foods, it is the healthiest side dish to roast pork or roasted duck. It makes delicious hodgepodge and all hearty soups, such as those with smoked meats.
Red cabbage
It differs from its white cabbage relative by the pigment anthocyanin, which colors the leaves not only red, but also a beautiful violet.
It also gives them a sharp-sweet taste and with regular consumption of red cabbage helps to fight brittle blood vessels. Like other vegetables with this pigment, such a cabbage is rich in beta-carotene, which is converted in the body into vitamin A. Its task is to resist the action of free radicals, strengthen the immune system, start the metabolism and stimulate vision. Compared with white cabbage, red cabbage has more vitamin K, which is important for protein regeneration, and phytoncides, which prevent inflammation. It is not without reason that cabbage juice has been used for centuries to treat wounds and heal tissues.
Red cabbage is a favorite European side dish for traditional meat dishes
As for culinary use, red cabbage is particularly popular in the cuisines of Central Europe: in Germany it is stewed in beer, in the Czech Republic – with cracklings, in Austria – in wine. Such rich and colorful side dish will become the best friend for pork chops and roasted sausages. To prevent the cabbage from turning brown from the heat and to preserve the beautiful hue of red wine, you can add a little lemon juice, vinegar or sour apple while braising it. This sourness suits cabbage just as well as cumin, cardamom, and rosemary spices – their intense aroma will nicely smooth out the cabbage’s excessive tartness.
Red cabbage is an excellent food coloring. Pure cabbage juice can give a delicate bluish hue, for example, to dumplings, and if you add a little vinegar to it, the color will change to a bright fuchsia.