How long does it take to boil cabbage?

Step 1Cut cabbage into wedges or slice it thin. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add cabbage. (It's OK to crowd the pot because the cabbage will shrink!) Step 2Boil until tender, about 5 minutes for shredded cabbage and 10 minutes for wedges .

How do you boil red cabbage?

Red cabbage can also be boiled. To preserve the crunch, cook in salted boiling water with a teaspoon of vinegar for 5 minutes unless a softer consistency is desired in which case cook for a little longer.

Why do you put vinegar in cabbage when boiling it?

Green is the heartiest variety; it takes well to all cooking methods. Red can turn a funny blue color when cooked, so it's best used raw. If you do want to cook it, add a touch of acid like lemon juice or vinegar to lessen the effect . Savoy can be used in any recipe that calls for green cabbage.

How much water do you use when boiling cabbage?

Add about 8 cups of water to a pot.

Do you put cabbage in cold or boiling water?

Bring the water or stock to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, then add the cabbage. Simmer the cabbage for 10-15 minutes, or until it's as tender as you like it.

Can you overcook boiled cabbage?

Overcook the hearty leaves, and you'll end up with limp, stinky mush that no one wants to eat. By paying close attention to cooking time, and with the addition of some seasoning, you can turn boiled cabbage into a quick and delicious side dish — you can even make it the star of the show.

Do you have to wash cabbage before boiling?

It's totally up to you, and probably depends on where you get your cabbage . Canbage isn't known for harboring parasites, but it can be dirty on the outside. Rinse it off and slice it in half. If it looks dirty on the inside, you can quarter it, then soak the quarters in a bowl of water.

How long does it take for a head of cabbage to boil?

Get a big pot filled half full with water boiling. Once the water is boiling, put the head of cabbage into the boiling water and put a lid on it. You're going to want to boil the cabbage for 7-10 minutes , depending how big the head of cabbage is.

Is Boiling Cabbage good for you?

A cup of boiled cabbage has just 33 calories. It is low in fat and high in fiber. Furthermore, cabbage increases excretion and detoxification, which speeds weight reduction and improves liver health .

Is boiled cabbage good for you?

It's Packed With Nutrients Half a cup of cooked cabbage has about a third the vitamin C you need for the day. It also gives you doses of fiber, folate, potassium, magnesium, vitamins A and K, and more.

Rachel Roddy's recipe for rice and cabbage soup

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A kitchen in Rome

Somewhere between a soup and a risotto, this soothing dish is one to win over cabbage sceptics

Rachel Roddy

Mon 4 Jan 2021 06.00 EST

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The problem with liking cabbage so much is that I often smell of it. Not the most charismatic way to start a column, I know, especially the first of the year – happy new year! – but it is the truth, and a significant part of my eating life. As a child, I discovered that liking cabbage carried a risk: that of being called smelly, although this didn’t stop me eating all my school lunch, then offering to finish my friend’s. Young trauma faded into twentysomething worries about my sulphurous hair, although this didn’t stop me eating the cabbage soup I prescribed myself. But then, in my early 30s, I found myself living in a building that, thanks to a trattoria serving a typically Roman and therefore cruciferous menu, smelled more strongly of cabbage (also of broccoli, chicory and spinach) than I did. It was like meeting a kindred spirit, only made of bricks and cement; I fitted right in.

I am exaggerating, of course – but only slightly. Our building is a cabbage and broccoli bong much of the time; the sulphurous scent hanging around the courtyard and communal stairwells like fruit flies around half a melon in high summer. The smell is not alone: the bread shop, the bar dispatching espressos, bins and various degrees of home cooking all compete for airspace. But the scent of cabbage prevails. And I like the pong as much as the flavour of this great, green vegetable named after a head, especially deep-green savoy, with its blasted leaves and tree-like rib that taste like chlorophyll, iron, mustard and nutty butter.

If the smell is a bother, though, there are ways and whole websites dedicated to what Jane Grigson describes as the original sin. A cup of coffee with a tablespoon of vinegar left near the pan; a slice of bread soaked with vinegar positioned near the pan is likewise said to soak up unwanted smells; a bowl of water with bicarb; or half a potato. Ingredients added to the cabbage while cooking can also help: vinegar, milk, bay leaves, potato. Maybe the Neapolitans, the original mangiafoglia (leaf eaters), know this. Or maybe it is simply that bay and potato made such good additions to a minestra di verza e riso, or virz’e rise, a soothing dish of cabbage with rice and parmesan that is somewhere between a soup and a risotto. The slow cooking of the cabbage in butter (which is my non-traditional addition) and oil reduces it almost to a cream, which, having given its scent to the room (and the cup of coffee with vinegar), is softly vegetal and savourythanks to the umami power of a parmesan rind (one of the best seasonings known to soup, as well as a soft, chewy fringe benefit for the cook).

The Neapolitan friend who taught me how to make this dish refers to it as a toccasana, a cure-all, and I agree. And while it isn’t a please-all, it is certainly a dish to win over cabbage sceptics. It’s also cheap, generous and, smells aside, one that fits in.

Rice and cabbage soup – minestra di verza e riso

Serves 4

1 large savoy cabbage
5 tbsp olive oil
20g butter
1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
2 bay leaves
Salt and black pepper
30g parmesan, grated, plus 1 parmesan rind
200g rice (carnaroli or vialone nano)

Trim the base of the cabbage, pulling away any tough leaves, then cut in quarters, remove the core and slice the rest into fine ribbons.

In a heavy-based pan, warm the oil and butter, then add the cabbage, onion, garlic and bay leaves, and stir well so everything is coated in oil. Cook for a few minutes, then lower the heat, cover the pan and leave to cook gently for 45 minutes, or until the cabbage has collapsed completely.

Mash the cabbage with a fork so it breaks up, then add a litre and a half of water, a pinch of salt and the parmesan rind. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

Add the rice and simmer, stirring often, for 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender. I order that the final consistency is soft and thick, but still soupy, so you may need to add more water. Stir in the parmesan and lots of freshly ground black pepper, then serve.

Topics

Food
A kitchen in Rome

Soup
Italian food and drink
Rice
Vegetables
Main course
Starter
recipes

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Rachel Roddy's recipe for rice and cabbage soup | Food (2024)

Rice and cabbage soup – minestra di verza e riso

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