Mexican Cabbage

When I made enfrijoladas the other day, I decided to add a side of pan-fried cabbage because as soon as the weather gets cold, I start consuming all vegetables in this form, which is to say either oven roasted or pan roasted. I did this one on the stove.



Ingredients
-one quarter of a cabbage- about 2 or 3 cups (this also works really well with most vegetables)
-olive oil (a couple of tablespoons)
-salt (a couple of pinches)
-pepper (a pinch)
-1/4 t chili powder (I also use chipotle powder sometimes, but only about an 1/8th t of that.)
-1/4 t cumin (ground)
-1/8 t garlic powder (you can use a clove of fresh minced, but don't add it till the end, or it will burn and taste bitter)
-your favorite salsa (optional)
(Honestly, for the spices, I usually just start pulling things out of my cupboard and sprinkle them on. But this is my best guess. Sometimes I'll add paprika or Mexican oregano or cayenne.)

How To
Note- The key to cooking vegetables this way is to get the heat right. Unfortunately, that is something you and your stove will have to work out between yourselves. I can tell you that I set mine between 6 and 7, but that may be of little help to you. Also, for quicker cooking vegetables like cabbage and broccoli, you'll want to have the heat a bit higher, so that they get all browned before they become soggy and over cooked. For longer cooking ones like cauliflower and green beans, you'll want to keep the heat a bit lower, so they don't burn before you get them to crisp tender.
-Put a pan over medium/high heat, adding a tablespoon of oil. Let it heat up while you're preparing the cabbage. (However, if you cook on a gas stove, which heats up much faster than an electrive stove, you may want to wait until you've prepared the cabbage before turning on the heat.)
-Shred the cabbage like so...

(If using a different vegetable, just cut into bite-sized pieces.)
-Put it in a bowl, drizzle with a tablespoon or so of oil and sprinkle on the salt, pepper and other spices.

-Mix well, so everything is lightly coated. Add more oil if it doesn't look glossy.
-Check that the oil in the pan is looking all shimmery. If it isn't, wait patiently until it is.

-Add the cabbage and make sure it's in a fairly thin layer. Don't add all of it if it's much thicker than this...

-Here's the hard part. Don't stir it. Just let it sit for several minutes (maybe up to five). You'll want to keep an eye on it, but don't mess with it.
-When it starts to get browned on the bottom layer, like this, that's when you can give everything a good stir and take it off the heat.
-If you're using fresh garlic, stir it in now and put it back on the heat for 30 seconds or so.


-Taste and add more salt if necessary.
-If you'd like, you can stir in a couple spoonfuls of salsa after you take it off the heat. Joey preferred it this way, but I wasn't too sure about the combo of tomato and cabbage. Something about the acid in the tomato didn't seem to work with the cabbage. But, as I said, she ate a bunch of it rolled up in a tortilla, so that's gotta count for something.

And that's it.

Alternatives
-If you want to cook more than this, roasting is always a good option. Just cut the cabbage into wedges, mix with the oil and spices and put it in a 400 degree oven for about half an hour (as my friend Karin describes).
-Also, oven roasting is my preferred method for cauliflower. When it's raw, I really dislike it, but when it's roasted, it gets all buttery soft and caramelized. I can eat that stuff by the bowlful.
-Changing up the spices for this is super easy. Instead of the chili powder, cumin and garlic, you can use curry powder and garam masala for Indian or rosemary, thyme and oregano for Italian or just the salt and pepper for a more universal flavor.

In fact, I just found this picture of roasted cauliflower with curry powder and garam masala. (And I know that to some of you, those seasonings may seem a bit intimidating, but check the spice section at your grocery story. McCormick's has a tasty garam masala.)



Yum. That looks so good, I think I may make some for breakfast.