CABBAGE: The New Lettuce

It's January.  It's cold out, and we are in the midst of a huge snowstorm.  It's also Friday, the end of the week.  The fridge is starting to look very empty on the eve of market day.  But we have cabbage.  It's pretty hard not to have cabbage because it lasts - ALL winter.  Just as we eat lettuce, spinach and arugula like it is going out of style in the summer, in winter, we eat cabbage.  So much cabbage in fact, that I am now calling it the new lettuce.  New?  Well, for those of us learning how to truly eat locally, learning to eat and love cabbage is a new concept.  I am especially appreciating the versatility and freshness of Nappa Cabbage which so far is always available at the market on Saturdays, and I am crossing my fingers it keeps on coming.  This cabbage has delicate leaves (unlike the ordinary red and green cabbages) which gives it more of a lettuce character.  The fun part too is that you can treat it like a lettuce or a cabbage, depending on your mood.  Tonight it took on more of a cabbage personality when I dressed it in an Asian Peanut Dressing, served alongside Wild Salmon Fish Cakes.  Recipes like this make me feel like I can survive this winter without breaking down and buying California greens.

NAPPA CABBAGE SALAD with Asian Peanut Dressing

Feel free to substitute red or green cabbage if you don't have any Nappa around.  

4 cups shredded organic Nappa cabbage

1 organic carrot, shredded

1/8 cup organic tamari

1 1/2 Tbsp brown rice vinegar

1/8 cup organic peanut butter, chunky or smooth

1 Tbsp local maple syrup

Method:  Combine the cabbage and carrot in a salad bowl.  Whisk together the remaining ingredients and then toss with the cabbage.  (If using red or green cabbage, be sure to let it sit for about 30 minutes before serving).