Bohemian Cabbage Recipes

BOHEMIAN SWEET AND SOUR CABBAGE

Steps:

• Brown the onion in the shortening, only to a golden color. Do not brown.
• Add the water, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil. (This liquid is just enough for this size cabbage.).
• Put cabbage in; sprinkle with caraway seed if you wish.
• Boil for 1/2 hour.
• Sprinkle with flour. Stir it up and boil just a few seconds for the flour to dissolve.
• Grandmother notes that you shouldn't "put cooked cabbage in the freezer -- just in box." (Box is the old-time short way of saying "icebox" -- we would say refrigerator!).

CZECH SWEET AND SOUR CABBAGE

Steps:

• Cleaning and preparing cabbage: Remove any wilted or damaged outer leaves of the head of cabbage. Cut the cabbage in half. Locate the cabbage's stem, also known as the core. Cut an angle into the core where the stem meets the cabbage leaves and remove it from each half.
• Shredding cabbage head: Simply cut the cabbage into thin strips with a chef's knife and further cut them in half to get manageable bites. Another easy way to shred cabbage is to use a hand box grater.
• The cabbage needs to be scalded first. This will remove the pungent taste from the cabbage; it will also soften a little and become tender. Boil a kettle full of water. Put the cabbage in a large colander and gently scald with boiling water. I steam twice, each time with about ⅓ gal (1.3 L) of water, which is the capacity of my kettle.
• Heat the lard or sunflower oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Throw in the chopped onions and fry until they turn golden. Stir frequently. Add the caraway seeds to the onions and fry for a further minute.
• Add the shredded cabbage and a teaspoon of salt. Stir well. Pour in a ladle of water, turn the heat down to a third and cover the pot with a lid. Let simmer for 40 minutes.
• Thickening the cabbage: Take a small sieve and flour. Place a spoonful of flour in the sieve and sprinkle it lightly over the entire surface of the cabbage. Do not stir or shake the cabbage. Simply cover with a lid and let the flour steam for five minutes. Then stir, cover again and leave to simmer for a further five minutes.
• The perfect flavoring of cabbage: This is where your taste preferences come in. Add about ⅔ of the vinegar and sugar to the cabbage from the amount in the recipe. Add salt, stir and taste. Gradually add vinegar, sugar, or salt until you reach the desired taste. Stir well each time.

BOHEMIAN CABBAGE

Steps:

• Brown ground beef and drain.
• Place 1/2 of the cabbage in a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish and sprinkle generously with salt and half of the caraway seeds.
• Then layer half of the ground beef, half of green pepper, half of onions and the 1/2 cup of uncooked rice over the cabbage.
• Salt and pepper again.
• Repeat layers again starting with remaining cabbage, caraway seeds, ground beef, green pepper, onion, salt and pepper.
• Be sure to salt adequately because cabbage needs a lot of salt.
• Mix water and soup together and pour over all.
• Cover and bake at 325°F for 1 hour or until cabbage is tender.

RED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Place water in a large saucepan, and stir in cabbage, apples, brown sugar, vinegar, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and 1 tablespoon butter. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and cover. Simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender. Stir in remaining butter before serving.