Thursday, March 8, 2012

Green Tea Braised Cabbage with Edamame

Cabbage.

Humble. Yet simple and tasty fare for those who massage it with the right flavours. Often all it needs is to be kissed by a hot pan and topped with some butter and salt. My daughter absolutely loves simply sauteed cabbage and so it often appears on our table.

Tonight I thought I'd shake it up, but only slightly (so as not to offend the troops), with the addition of green tea and edamame.

I was inspired after reading an article about Chef Redzepi from the world-renowned restaurant, Noma. The article said that the food he cherished most was cabbage. This floored me. With all the amazing ingredients he had access to- and he loves cabbage! Maybe as much as we do!

The article said that he said he simply cooked it with a knob of butter and the leftovers of his wife's tea cup.

Perhaps it was plain black tea? Or some type of blend?

I decided for this treatment I would use the subtle and lovely floral green tea from T. Next time I may use black tea and no edamame. Ah, let the experimenting begin!

The results tonight? It was declared to be "delicious!"

For the inspiring article about foraging with Chef Redzepi:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/11/21/111121fa_fact_kramer
For the tea: http://www.tealeaves.com/p-24-organic-health-well-being.aspx

Here is what happened in the pan:

Green Tea Braised Cabbage with Edamame
EASY
Add more oil and butter if desired. Salting the cabbage properly is essential to taste, don't under-season this dish. The green tea is subtle but lovely. We served this with brown rice and leftover tofu and chicken.

1 tsp vegetable oil (grapeseed, etc.)
1 tsp butter
1/2 cabbage, roughly chopped
1/2 cup cooked and shelled edamame, prepared according to directions
salt
1/4 cup prepared green tea

1. Heat a cast iron or stainless frying pan over medium to medium high heat until hot. Add oil and butter. Add chopped cabbage and saute for a couple minutes, until tender-crisp. Season with salt. Taste.
2. Add cooked edamame and green tea. Reduce heat and simmer for a minute or two. Serve immediately.