Italian Cabbage Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the name of the Italian cabbage? ›

Black cabbage is an Italian cabbage, also known as Tuscan cabbage, Tuscan kale, or cavolo nero.

An old trick to use is to leave the cabbage lightly doused in vinegar water for a couple of minutes before proceeding to wash the cabbage with water. Usually between two or four minutes. Vinegar kills some types of bacteria and helps killing mold and mildew that could have grown on the cabbage.

Ordinarily, you don't need to soak cabbage before cooking. There are two reasons to soak cabbage. If you cut into the cabbage and notice worms or insects, soak the cut cabbage in salt water for 10 to 20 minutes. This will drown unwanted critters.

Kales are the most ancient cultivated cabbage forms. Until the mid-eighteenth century, cabbages generally, and kales particularly, were known in England under their Anglo-Saxon name 'colewort'.

In Italian slang, there are many vegetables that play a dramatic role in everyday conversation. But only one is the undisputed prima donna when it comes to kind of swearing in Italian: the cabbage – il cavolo. It is the safe substitute of a much stronger bad word, the same as saying 'fudge' is in English.

You don't add baking soda. Adding baking soda to your boiling cabbage can help reduce the objectionable smell and maintain the green color long after when it typically turns grayish from cooking for too long. However, this may rid the cabbage of its nutritional value.

To ferment vegetables, such as cabbage, we take advantage of these two qualities – it's our golden ticket to fermentation! First, we add enough salt to make it difficult for competing microorganisms to survive. The salt then draws moisture out of the cabbage's cells through osmosis, forming a salty brine.

The cabbage juice is called an indicator because it can tell you the pH of a solution based on the color that it changes. The vinegar will turn the cabbage juice red because it is an acid (acetic acid). The baking soda will turn the cabbage juice greenish-yellow because it is a base (sodium bicarbonate).

Overcooking cabbage releases sulfur compounds that can give it a bitter taste. Another possible reason is that the cabbage was not fresh.

Can you overcook cabbage? ›

The key to cooking cabbage: Don't overcook it.

Cabbage is sweet and aromatic when cooked correctly. But the same sulfuric compounds that provide many of its health benefits can turn saboteur when overcooked, creating a pungent, unpleasant smell.

Cabbage contains an insoluble sugar and a lot of fiber. These can cause gas in some people. However, there are some herbs that might be useful, cooked with the cabbage, to reduce the amount of gas. These include dill seed, sage, caraway, basil, oregano, ginger, fennel, and allspice.

Crisp it up: Shredded cabbage stays perky if it's soaked in cold water.

Quarter the cabbage, remove the core and shred the leaves. Blanch in a pan of boiling salted water for 3 mins, then hold under a cold tap to cool. Drain well. Heat the fat in a pan and fry the shallots, rosemary sprig and garlic cloves for 5 mins until golden.

If leaves are not pliable enough after parboiling for 1 minute, return them to simmering water another 1-2 minutes to desired softness. Are you salting the water before parboiling? Salt can help soften cabbage.

It's true! Cabbage can range from green and red cabbage to Napa cabbage and even Brussels sprouts—yes, it's a type of cabbage! While most cabbage recipes will state which type to use, it's important to understand the many varieties of cabbage and what makes them so different.

CABBAGE SAVOY (Cavolo versa) San Michele.

Radicchio ⁠— also known as Cichorium intybus and Italian chicory ⁠— is a type of leafy chicory featuring dark reddish-purple leaves and white veins. Though commonly mistaken for red cabbage or lettuce, radicchio has a distinctly bitter taste that goes well with many Italian dishes.