What can I do with cabbage??

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OK, a cabbage 'virgin' here... (loathed the stuff since school, where it was green mush...)

However my Dad has planted some in our veg patch, and now we have several large green things which he says are ready to eat?

I haven't a clue where to start...

Someone said you just take off a few leaves at a time & leave the rest of the plant in the ground, whereas a few websites advocate picking the whole cabbage?

I had some nice cabbage at the weekend which seemed to be in a buttery/ garlic suce with mushrooms?

Any ideas?

Finely slice onions, bacon, garlic and cabbage and stir fry, I add sweetchilli sauce also.

Really tasty thinly shredded as part of a green salad. Honest!

i put shredded cabbage into stir-fries, fried rice, veg curries, and sausage-tomato-stewy-type dishes. I also like it steamed with sliced leeks and a dot of butter.

oh and i make coleslaw - finely slice with or w/out shredded carrot, dressing of mustard, dash vinegar, dash oil, and mayo.

So do I just take the outer, or next in leaves off? And leave the rest to keep growing?

Just shred then steam it until al dente, lightly salt and eat. It should be extra nice straight out of the ground.

Otherwise you could finely shred, add grated carrot and maybe some finely chopped onion, mayo and there you have it. Coleslaw.

What kind of cabbage are you growing? Savoy or green/white?

Here's a lovely Jamie Oliver recipe:

Jamie's recipe for Farfalle with Savoy cabbage, pancetta, thyme and mozzarella from his book "The Return of the Naked Chef" - serves 4.

10 rashers of pancetta or dry-cured streaky bacon, thinly sliced
olive oil
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 good handful of thyme, leaves picked
1 large Savoy cabbage (outer leaves removed) quartered, cored and finely sliced
1 handful of grated Parmesan cheese
455gr/1 lb dried farfalle, the best you can get
salt and freshly ground black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
200gr / 7oz buffalo mozzarella, cut into 1cm / 1/2 inch dice
2 handfuls of pine nuts, lighly toasted

In a pan fry your pancetta in a little olive oil until lightly golden. Add the garlic and thyme and soften. Add the Savoy cabbage and Parmesan, then stir and put the lid on the pan. Cook for a further 5 minutes, shaking every now and again, while you cook your farfalle in salted boiling water until al dente. When the cabbage is nice and tender, season and loosen with some nice peppery extra virgin olive oil. Toss the drained farfalle into the cabbage and at the last minute mix in the mozzarella and pine nuts. Serve immediately.

I don't know abot the growing questions, but with re to cooking, you can shred it and add it to stir-fries, shred it raw for salads (including coleslaw), chop it and steam it as a vegetable accompaniment to any meal (including roasts, sausages and mash, any meat and two veg type meal), shred it really fine and add it to the onions when you make a shepherd's pie or lasagne, use the leaves whole and stuff them with a mince and rice mixture (google stuffed cabbage leaves for recipe ideas).

Sautteed caggage, onion, bacon and garlic is a really nice simple meal, especially served with brown rice and soy sauce.

I don't know abot the growing questions, but with re to cooking, you can shred it and add it to stir-fries, shred it raw for salads (including coleslaw), chop it and steam it as a vegetable accompaniment to any meal (including roasts, sausages and mash, any meat and two veg type meal), shred it really fine and add it to the onions when you make a shepherd's pie or lasagne, use the leaves whole and stuff them with a mince and rice mixture (google stuffed cabbage leaves for recipe ideas).

Sautteed caggage, onion, bacon and garlic is a really nice simple meal, especially served with brown rice and soy sauce.

You can use any cabbage for that Jamie Oliver recipe, so don't worry if it's not savvoy.

Mmm - some nice ideas here...

It's definitely green/Savoy BTW

Yum

Definitely goes with bacon. I slice it finely, fry with onions and bacon, then stir in philadelphia and stir the lot into pasta. In summer another good use is coleslaw - just shred the cabbage, mix with grated carrot and a bit of sliced onion, and stir in mayo and salt & pepper.

Isn't coleslaw just for white cabbage though?

Well, I would do it.... (I love cabbage) just try a bit and see if you like it.

Bit late to this (was searching for cabbage recipes) but as far as the growing question is concerned I think you can either pick the outer leaves off and then pick the 'head' when it's reached the size you want, or chop the whole thing off at the stem. My tulip cabbages are just about ready now - I'm going for the chopping off method and then I'll plant more that'll be ready in the autumn (I think, must consult my Carol Klein veg bible.)