I buy most of my vegetables at a little local organic vegetable stand that is conveniently right by the subway stop I take to and from work. I was worried that once winter came that I would no longer be able to eat so many fresh and local vegetables but was proved incredibly wrong by the plethora of strange looking cabbages and root vegetables the likes of which I have never seen. It has been very exciting trying vegetables I have never eaten before. The other week I tried savoy cabbage for the first time and find it to be incredible. This warm salad has very few ingredients but it super delicious and colorful and will probably make you glow inside and out if it has the same effect on you as me. This recipe is what I make for myself, and thus is for one person.
olive oil
About 8 leaves from a savoy cabbage
salt
water
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2ish carrots, peeled and grated
vinegar
real parmesan cheese (gasp!) - optional
Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan. While it is warming up, stack a couple of cabbage leaves on top of each other and cut the hard stem part away. Then roll up the leaves kind of like a cigar and cut them into strips. You can then cut these in half again. I would. Do this until you have cut up all the leaves.
When the oil is hot throw the cabbage leaves into the pan and a pinch or two of salt. A real cook would probably tell you to do like half in the pan until it wilts and then add the rest but I just throw it all in at once since I'm just making enough for myself. (If you are cooking for more people you probably want to do the wilt and wait step though.) Stir. Add the minced garlic.
After a couple of minutes throw about a quarter cup of water into the pan so that it sizzles and the steam cooks the cabbage. You may want to do this a couple more times during cooking depending on how long you cook the cabbage, as it not only cooks it but keeps it from browing/burning.
When you are happy with the degree to which the cabbage is cooked dish it out onto a plate. Add grated carrot on top, or grate it right onto the cabbage. Add balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese to taste. I have popped the dairy cherry on this blog and do not feel guilty about it. Just know it isn't always necessary!
You can of course add any other vegetables to this you want. I once added spring onions into the pan and cooked them with the cabbage. You could also add other cold vegetables on top of you like. It makes no difference to me.
