I love to cook, but I also really love to keep it simple. I wanted to share with you one of the easiest ways to make delicious cabbage or other similar greens. The recipe can be put together from start to finish in ten minutes or less.
Before I go any further, I want to emphasize that the quality of the fat used is very important. I strongly advise my clients to spend the extra money on choice fats: high quality olive oil and avocado oil, cold pressed organic virgin coconut oil, and butter from grass/pasture fed cattle.
The following recipe contains only four ingredients:
Cabbage
Butter (grass fed) or Grass Fed Ghee (even better)
Sea Salt (minimally processed)
Black Pepper
For me, the following method is the safest way to break down a cabbage resulting in perfect size pieces:
Peel away the less than desirable leaves and discard (compost if you can).
With a sharp knife, quarter the cabbage through its core.
With a knife, carefully separate the core pieces and discard or compost them.
Cut 1/4 inch slices across the grain of the remaining cabbage quarters. (Depending on the size of your cabbage, each strip will be roughly 2-4 inches long.)
Now, in a heavy bottomed pan placed on medium heat:
Melt 4 Tb. of Butter until it bubbles and barely begins to brown.
Add 3-4 Cups of the prepared raw shredded cabbage.
Stir frequently as to coat all of the leaves with butter noticing how quickly the cabbage wilts. If you like your greens a bit crunchier, cook for less time. If you like your greens softer, cook longer. Try it different ways and each time you will discover a very different eating experience.
Sprinkle sea salt and freshly cracked pepper over the mixture. (A little salt goes a long way here to give it flavor. You can always add more at the table.)
Stir once more and serve warm
The truth is butter has gotten a really bad wrap thanks to the American Heart Association (see Dr. Mark Hymans work and The Broken Brain Series). But the truth is the opposite. High quality butter made from the milk of grass fed cows is a marvelous fat with tons of nutrients. Ghee is even better! More on this later...
A photo from my recent trip to Montana with my wife Kelly.
Chef’s Notes:
I like to serve this vegetable side with a piece of seared meat, usually beef; however, it goes well with any protein. The wonderful thing about simple cooking methods is they adapt and really go with anything. There are no bold flavors here, which lend to its versatility. Also, you can easily prepare this recipe with wonderful results using other greens, e.g. collards, beet greens, Asian cabbage, kale, chard, broccoli greens, and more.
Dietitian’s Notes:
I tend to frequently use this simple combination of quality protein and a green/leafy vegetable cooked in grass fed butter. It is filling, satisfying, fast, easy and delicious, as well as nutritious. (If butter is unable to be used with meat for dietary/religious reasons, cold pressed coconut oil or avocado oil can be a fine substitution.)
Recover On!
-David Avram Wolfe