Flat Head Cabbage
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This section is from the book "Domestic Cook Book", by Mary J. Pulte, published in 1888 by Geo. W. Smith. Being a practical guide in the preparation of food for the well and the sick, and containing also useful hints for the household.
The Dutch flat head cabbage makes the best saurkraut and a lard barrel is the best to make it in. The barrel should be cleaned and filled with hot water two or three days before it is used. It takes one hundred heads of cabbage and two quarts and one pint of salt to make a large barrel full of saurkraut. Trim off all the outside leaves of the cabbage until you come to the white part, then cut off the coarse ribs and take out the stalk. It must be done carefully by an experienced kraut cutter. I have a very nice German woman who makes it for me every year. The cutting machine is placed over a clean tub and the cut cabbage falls into it. Then put a layer of cut cabbage about one inch deep into the barrel, with a handful of salt sprinkled over it, and pound it with a long handled wooden beetle that has two cross pieces as wide as your hand fastened onto the end of it. Pound it for a few minutes until the cabbage is wet, then put in another layer of cabbage with salt, and so on, until you have the barrel as full as you want it. Then take some of the best whole cabbage leaves, wash them in cold water and place them over the saurkraut Then take one half of a linen table-cloth that is out of use, double it, wring it out of cold water, put it over the cabbage leaves and tuck it down all around the sides of the barrel. Then put on the head of the barrel which has been made small enough to fit inside, lay two cross pieces on top and put on two or three large stones for weights. The water must stand half an inch deep on the boards after the stones are put on. Two weeks after it is made take all the water out, remove the weights, boards, cloth and leaves, wash them in cold water and replace them just as they were before; then put in sufficient water (that has a little salt in it,) to cover the boards half an inch deep. The saurkraut will be ready to use in three or four weeks from the time it is made. Every time the kraut is taken out of the barrel the things on top must be washed clean and replaced again with salt and water half an inch deep over the boards. Saur-kraut that is made and kept in this manner has a different look and taste from what you get in the market.
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New Year's Cabbage Rolls Cabbage rolls are a New Year's tradition in Louisiana along with the black eye peas and ham. Using flat head cabbage seems to provide more whole leaves. Cabbage rolls freeze very well so you can make a large recipe, but, it can be reduced to make enough for one meal. Vary the recipe to your own taste. 1
tablespoon oil In a 12 inch heavy skillet add the oil, onion, celery, and bell pepper. Cook uncovered over medium heat stirring occasionally until the seasonings are very limp and the onions are beginning to brown around the edges. Remove heat. Fill a large pot about ¾ full of water and heat to boiling on the stove to make the cabbage leaves more pliable. While the onion mixture is cooking, prepare the cabbage. Cut around the core and remove the core. Remove the whole leaves from the cabbage (under running water if necessary). You should be able to remove a little over half of the head before the leaves become too small. In a large dish pan or other large container, add ground beef, pork, rice, eggs, 5 ounce can tomato with chilies, salt, pepper, cayenne (go easy, a little goes a long way) and the cooked onion mixture from the skillet. Using your well washed hands mix everything thoroughly. In the large pot of boiling water, place 6 to 8 leaves of cabbage at a time for about 2 minutes or less. The water does not have to return to a boil. You’re not cooking the cabbage, just making it a little softer. Put the slightly limp leaves aside until they’re all done. Place about ¾ of a cup of the meat-rice mixture, shaped into a meatball, inside of one leaf and roll the leave around the meat ball. Put the cabbage rolls, loose edges down, in a 2 ½ inch (or more) deep baking dish. It takes about two 11 x 17 inch baking pans for this recipe. Using the 2 cans of diced tomato, pour one can over cabbage rolls in each pan. You can use diced tomato and green chilies if you prefer just decrease or eliminate the cayenne pepper. Cover the pans with foil and bake at 350* for about 2 hours. Cooking time is less if you are making a smaller recipe. Cook long enough for the meat to be done. Recipe yields 15 to 20 cabbage rolls. |
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