I mentioned last week that I had a head of Napa cabbage in the fridge (that’s the stuff in the lower right-hand corner of the picture) and was looking forward to having lots of salads with it, but after a few days it started tasting bitter. I couldn’t force it down. Then I thought, ‘I know! I’ll make that recipe from Smitten Kitchen again!’ But going back and looking at her post reminded me of how ridiculously complicated it is, with totally unnecessary steps. I’m not going to re-write the entire recipe, though.
So here’s the link to her website, with all of her lovely pictures, and then here’s how I changed it:
- Just chop up all the cabbage. Don’t worry about this incredibly fussy idea of saving out and blanching the outer cabbage leaves and using them as veggie lasagna noodles. Everything is going to taste exactly the same whether you do this step or not.
- Cook down the chopped cabbage, mushrooms and onions until all the moisture has evaporated and the vegetables are even starting to brown a little. Some of the comments say that the casserole as written was watery. That will not happen if you do this step. (The SK recipe simply says to cook them “until tender,” which is not long enough.)
- Make the sauce in with the sautéed vegetables, not as a separate step. Use all the butter called for (1 stick) to cook the veggies, sprinkle them with the flour (I used ¼ cup) and stir until incorporated, then add the wine and reduce, then add the milk and simmer until thick, then add the cheese and stir until melted. Now you have your sauce all made and also nice and hot.
- Do pre-cook the potatoes. A number of comments said that the raw potatoes didn’t get done in the baking time allowed even with her at-least-an-hour baking time. You can slice and boil them, as I did, or (which would be easier upon reflection) you could just scrub them and microwave them whole, then slice them into 1/4″ pieces.
- Use more cheese than is called for, and use a creamy, sharp one in addition to the Parmesan she says to use. I had a little bit of something smoked that was hanging around but good old sharp Cheddar would also be fine. I’d use the cup of Parmesan called for plus a cup of something else, with extra Parmesan sprinkled on top.
- If you want to, but only if you want to, sauté some bread crumbs with butter until golden brown and sprinkle over the top of the casserole before baking. As far as I’m concerned, there are very few items that can’t be improved with bbc’s. In any case, be sure to add extra Parmesan on the top, underneath the bread crumbs if using..
- Dump your sliced, cooked potatoes into the bottom of your greased casserole dish, again not worrying about the layers. (I used a 10×13 pan and it was totally filled; I’m not sure how she got away with using a smaller pan.) Then pour the veggies + sauce over that, then sprinkle extra Parmesan and the bread crumbs (if using) over that, then bake uncovered at 3500 until edges are bubbling and top is lightly browned, 20-30 minutes. Since almost everything started out cooked and hot, you don’t have to bake it for very long.
Even with these simplifications I spent probably an hour and a half prepping and sautéeing everything. The time passed pleasantly enough because I was listening to From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler* while I worked. What a totally great book! I would never have known about it were it not for Gretchen Rubin. The audiobook is read by Jill Clayburgh, and she adds a whole extra layer of comedy with her performance. I was able to get it from the library and would strongly suggest that you do, too. Supposedly it’s a children’s book, but in reality it’s a great book taken on its own terms.
So that’s the use-up-what’s-in-the-fridge recipe for today. (I had bought two 24-oz. packages of crimini mushrooms Monday on The Great Costco Run, so I also needed to use those up along with the cabbage.) Be assured that the Napa cabbage doesn’t give you that same horrible cooked-cabbage smell that you get with the regular stuff. Of course, it costs a lot more than the regular stuff. The leftovers (of which there were plenty, since I was feeding only four people) heat up beautifully, although of course the crumbs on top lose their crispness in the microwave. Let me know if you make it! I’d love to hear people’s comments.
I had planned to write about how people in the past used their downtime, with knitting, crocheting, sewing, and whittling on the list, but I think I’ll save that for later. Here I’ll just say that I’ve pushed myself to get back to doing cross-stitching again, a hobby that I loved for many years and then just quit. I can’t stand to just sit and listen to a podcast or audiobook, though, and I don’t like sitting and reading much any more. Listening while stitching is a good combo for me.
How about you? Do you have a former hobby that you could resurrect during this time?
*Amazon Affiliate link