Fennel-Crusted Tuna with Wilted Cabbage and Orange-Soy Vinaigrette

I admit that this isn't the most glamorous sounding recipe, but I had faith in this cookbook (and leftover cabbage that I needed to get rid of along with some lovely sashimi-grade tuna). My faith was rewarded with a simple, but wonderfully flavored and elegant dish. While this has a few components, they all come together quickly, making this a good weeknight meal.

One year ago: Crab Quiche
Two years ago: Cabbage and Cucumber Slaw with Roasted Peanuts
Three years ago: Ninfa's Red Sauce
Four years ago: Broccoli, Red Pepper, and Cheese Chowder

Fennel-Crusted Tuna with Wilted Cabbage and Orange-Soy Vinaigrette (from Fish Without a Doubt)

Ingredients
2 tbsp fennel seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp white peppercorns
2 (12 ounce) pieces tuna, about 1 1/2 inches thick
coarse salt
2 tsp vegetable oil
Wilted Cabbage
2 tsp vegetable oil
2/3 lb savoy cabbage, shredded
4 scallions, cut into thin slices
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp water
Orange-Soy Vinaigrette
2 oranges
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
1/3 cup thinly sliced ginger
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
1 tbsp thinly sliced garlic
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
1/4 cup fumet or chicken stock
1 tsp lemon juice

1. First, make vinaigrette. Juice oranges. Tear or cut the rinds of 1 1/2 oranges into pieces (discard rest).
2. Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil and ginger. Saute for 30 seconds.
3. Add shallots and garlic and saute until fragrant, 30 - 45 seconds.
4. Add orange juice, rinds, soy, and vinegar. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to an active simmer. Cook, pressing down solids, until thick, syrupy and reduced by two-thirds.
5. Add fumet or stock and bring to active simmer. Strain, pressing down the solids. You should have about 1/2 cup.
6. Pour liquid into blender. With blender running, pour in 1/2 cup vegetable oil slowly. Keep running for 30 seconds. Add lemon juice.
7. Now, make the cabbage. Heat vegetable oil in large skillet over medium heat. Turn heat to high, add cabbage and scallions and stir-fry 30 seconds. Add soy sauce and water and stir-fry until cabbage starts to wilt, 1 minute. Remove from heat.
8. Finally, make fish. Combine fennel, coriander, and peppercorns in a spice grinder and grind to powder.
9. Season tuna with salt and coat with ground spices.
10. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Spoon in oil. Add tuna and cook for 45 seconds - 1 minute on each side.
11. Transfer tuna to cutting board and let rest before slicing the tuna.
12. To serve, make a mound of cabbage in 4 dinner plates. Surround cabbage with a ring of vinaigrette. Lay tuna slices on cabbage and serve.

Stir-Fried Chinese Leaf Cabbage with Chopped Salted Chiles

Finally! An end to the reign of cabbage ... for now. This cooks up quickly and is spicy without being overly hot. For now, a break from cabbage ... until the new basket shows up at least!

One year ago: Risotto with Porcini Mushrooms
Two years ago: Grapefruit Yogurt Cake (still one of my favourites)

Stir-Fried Chinese Leaf Cabbage with Chopped Salted Chiles (from Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook)

Ingredients
450g Chinese leaf cabbage, chopped into large squares
1 1/2 tbsp chopped salted chiles (or chili paste)
1 tsp sesame oil
3 tbsp peanut oil

1. Heat wok over high flame. Add oil.
2. Add chiles and stir-fry until fragrant.
3. Toss in cabbage and stir-fry until just tender.
4. Off heat, stir in sesame oil and serve.

Cabbage with Coconut Milk

The original recipe for this calls for green beans, but the author suggests that cabbage works quite well. Given the overabundance of cabbage, it seemed like a better option! The sauce is quite mild for an Indonesian dish, but it compliments spicier dishes quite well. Depending on how soupy you want it, you can use 1/3 - 2/3 cups each coconut milk and water.

One year ago: West African Peanut Soup (I need to revisit this idea)
Two years ago: Mango and Avocado Salad

Cabbage with Coconut Milk (from Cradle of Flavor)

Ingredients
2 tbsp peanut oil
85g shallots, thinly sliced lengthwise
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 - 4 red Holland chiles or other long red chiles, stemmed and thinly sliced
1" piece galangal, peeled and bruised (optional)
2 whole daun salam leaves (optional)
455g cabbage cut into 1" cubes (or green beans cut into 1" pieces)
1 medium tomato, cored and cut into 10 wedges
1/3 - 2/3 cup coconut milk
1/3 - 2/3 cup water
1 tsp palm sugar (or brown)
1/2 tsp kosher salt

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add shallots, garlic, chiles, galangal, and daun salam leaves. Saute, stirring, until garlic and shallots are limp and slightly golden, 5 - 7 minutes.
2. Increase heat to medium, add cabbage and tomatoes and stir to combine. Saute, stirring until beginning to soften, 2 minutes.
3. Add coconut milk, water, sugar, and salt. Stir to combine. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer stirring occasionally until cabbage is tender, 15 - 20 minutes.
4. Transfer to serving dish, discarding galangal and daun salam. Allow to rest and cool before eating.

Spicy Red Cabbage with Apple and Cilantro

In the never ending quest to finish off the 4lb head of red cabbage, this recipe filled a need (and even used up some apple!). The boy was on the fence about the inclusion of cilantro, but I was just happy this worked so well and maybe, just maybe, the cabbage levels are reaching a reasonable point.

One year ago: Gorgonzola Cheese Shells
Two years ago: Broccoli and Roasted Tomato Pseudo-Frittata

Spicy Red Cabbage with Apple and Cilantro (from Herbfarm Cookbook)

Ingredients
1/2 medium head red cabbage (about 1 lb)
2 tbsp vegetable
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1 large or 2 small apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4" dice
1/4 cup lime juice
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped cilantro

1. Cut 1/2 head of cabbage in half again and cut out cores. Slice cabbage very thin, less than 1/8" thick.
2. Heat oil with red pepper flakes in a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Add apple and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute.
4. Add red cabbage and toss to coat.
5. Add lime juice, sugar, and salt and cover pan. Reduce heat to low and cook until cabbage is tender, 5 - 10 minutes.
6. Add green onion and cilantro and toss.

Cabbage and Cucumber Slaw with Roasted Peanuts

I haven't had the time to spend as much time cooking as I would like to lately. One of the consequences of this is I feel like the vegetable situation is getting out of control. In particular, the bowling ball sized red cabbage has become my nemesis (especially after it turned a bowl of soup purple!). While cooked cabbage seems to be less my style, this raw cabbage slaw came out great ... and that's a good thing as the cabbage seems to multiply immediately after it's sliced!

One year ago: Shrimp and Avocado in Tamarind Sauce
Two years ago: Chocolate Souffle Cupcakes with Mint Cream (still a winner!)

Cabbage and Cucumber Slaw with Roasted Peanuts (from 660 Curries)

Ingredients
1 small head cabbage, thinly shredded
1 large English cucumber, ends trimmed off, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, seeds scooped out, thinly sliced crosswise.
1/2 cup shredded fresh coconut or 1/4 cup shredded dried unsweetened coconut, covered with 1/4 cup boiling water, soaked for 15 minutes, and drained
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp coarse salt
1/2 cup peanuts
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp black or yellow mustard seeds
1/4 tsp ground asafetida (I subbed lime zest)
juice of 1 lime

1. Combine cabbage, cucumber, coconut, cilantro, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
2. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Toss peanuts. Transfer to mortar and pound until they have consistency of coarse breadcrumbs.
3. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add mustard seeds, cover, and cook until seeds have stopped popping, about 30 seconds. Remove pan from heat and sprinkle in asafetida. Add to cabbage mixture.
4. Add lime juice and stir salad well. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Warm Red Cabbage and Goat Cheese and Pine Nuts

This week's basket brought a bowling ball-sized red cabbage. I'm not the world's biggest cabbage fan, but thankfully a little goat cheese makes most vegetables better.

Warm Red Cabbage with Goat Cheese and Pine Nuts (from Stop and Smell the Rosemary)

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
2 small shallots, thinly sliced
1 head red cabbage, cored and thinly shredded
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
55g goat cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp chopped parsley

1. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cabbage. Toss until slightly wilted.
2. Add lemon juice, vinegar, and capers. Toss until mixed.
3. Remove from heat and season with salt. Transfer to serving bowl. Sprinkle with nuts, cheese, and parsley.

Butter-Roasted Cabbage Strips with Caraway Seeds and Mustard Seeds

I was pleasantly surprised that I liked this dish. Thus far, I've mostly enjoyed the cabbage we've been getting with more Asian flavours or in raw preparations. This recipe was nicely seasoned and brought out the sweetness of the cabbage which paired nicely with pork tenderloin. We skipped on the optional aged Gouda because the boy wasn't willing to part with some of his precious Gouda for this recipe. I imagine it would be even better with the cheese!

One year ago: French Lemon Cream Tart

Butter-Roasted Cabbage Strips with Caraway Seeds (from All About Roasting)

Ingredients
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp caraway seeds, coarsely ground
1 tsp mustard seeds, brown or yellow
1 small head green cabbage (680g), preferably Savoy
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Gouda cheese (optional)

1. Heat oven to 350F. If desired, line a heavy duty rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add caraway and mustard seeds and set aside.
3. Quarter cabbage and remove cores. Slice each quarter into 1/3" thick pieces. Pile onto baking sheet (don't worry if it's high, it will shrink!).
4. Pour butter over cabbage and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
5. Roasting, tossing and turning with tongs every 10 minutes until tender with crispy brown edges, about 30 minutes.
6. Serve hot or warm with some grated Gouda.

Pickled Cabbage

Our CSA box seems to think we should be eating cabbage right now. The problem is, I'm not a huge fan of cabbage for the sake of cabbage. Luckily, if you cover it in enough tasty seasoning, I think it's delicious (or I can't taste the cabbage at that point!). The recipe below claims to make 4 servings, but I'm not sure how 2 cups of cabbage plus some red onion can be a serving! I didn't have fresh grapefruit on hand, so I just threw in some juice that was sitting in the fridge. Even without the grapefruit juice though, the mix is quite nice. I also substituted chili powder for harissa because I didn't have the time to make it. Next time, I will do this recipe right. Don't skip on the basil and cilantro on this!

One year ago: Spicy Red Beef Curry
Two years ago: Egg Drop

Pickled Cabbage (from The Soul of a New Cuisine)

Ingredients
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 tsp Harissa
1/2 head Napa cabbage shredded (about 8 cups)
1 grapefruit, peel and pith removed and segments sliced, juice reserved
2 sprigs basil, leaves only, chopped
2 sprigs cilantro, chopped
one 2" piece ginger, peeled and grated

1. Combine vinegar, soy sauce, water, and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Transfer to small bowl and let cool.
2. Add onion, garlic, peanuts, peanut oil, and harissa to vinegar mixture and stir well.
3. Put cabbage in a deep baking dish or large bowl and pour mixture over it. Toss to combine.
4. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes.
5. Drain cabbage and transfer to large bowl. Add grapefruit segments and juice, basil, cilantro, and ginger, tossing to mix.

Sweet and Sour Napa Cabbage

Our CSA box has been delivering some vegetables that I'm generally not drawn to in the store. Cabbage definitely falls into that category! This dish is simple, but quite tasty with a bit of an Asian flavour. The original makes quite a large amount, so I scaled in half, but have included the full below.

One year ago: Beef Rendang

Sweet and Sour Napa Cabbage (from Gourmet Today)

Ingredients
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
2 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/8 tsp salt
3 medium carrots, cut into 1/8" thick, 2" long matchsticks
2 lbs Napa cabbage, cut crosswise into 1 1/2" wide pieces

1. Whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, cornstarch, and red pepper flakes in a bowl until sugar is dissolved.
2. Heat a 12" heavy skillet over high heat until a drop of water evaporates on contact. Add oil, swirling pan to coat. Add ginger and garlic with salt and stir-fry until fragrant and pale golden, 20 - 30 seconds.
3. Add carrots and stir-fry until crisp-tender, 1 - 2 minutes.
4. Add cabbage and stir-fry until leaves are just wilted and ribs are crisp-tender, 3 - 4 minutes.
5. Whisk sauce again, add to pan, and stir-fry until vegetables are coated and sauce is slightly thickened, 1 - 2 minutes.