Week 3, Day 2 - Cabbage Cuisine

I begin today with a confession.  Every year my mom cutely makes stuffed cabbage on St. Patrick's Day.  And every year, being the supreme hostess that she is, she invites me over for dinner.  Here's where the confession comes in:  I think I decline every year.  The reason is, I childishly don't like stuffed cabbage.  Now, I'm not saying you're childish if you don't like a particular food.  I'm saying it's childish to claim you dislike a food you have never tried.  Seriously, my mom makes it every year, claiming it is wonderful, but I have refused to even taste it.

I think you know where I'm going with this.  Yes, tonight I not only made stuffed cabbage, I actually ate it too.  Is it an overdose of repetition if I say that I really enjoyed this dish?  It's strange because as I was making it I was certain I would hate it.  There didn't seem to be enough spices (ahem, none) and there were no exciting levels of flavor.  I also threw it together in a maddening rush as I finished rolling the last one at the very time I should have been arriving to my haircut appointment.  Regardless, the flavor was rich - almost spicy - and the texture wasn't at all slimy as I had always imagined.

Due to my lack of cabbage confidence, I made the potato roast to go alongside, thinking I could mix the two if necessary.  But the juggling of cooking around my appointment got the better of me, so the potatoes weren't finished until the stuffed cabbage was enjoyed and leftovers refrigerated.  I cut the roast recipe in half and fit it perfectly into a 6in pan.  Let's just say the leftover stuffed cabbage will not have a potato friend this evening.

Earlier in the afternoon I enjoyed a cabbage-based salad, knowing I would feel better having gotten two dishes out of the bowling ball vegetable I never purchase.  The dressing paired perfectly - always a bonus to save the $4 on salad dressing, too!

Days like today are a wonderful reminder of why this project is so good for me.  How many years would I have gone without tasting cabbage?  Maybe it didn't change my life, but I think I grew up just a bit tonight.

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- Napa Cabbage Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
- Alex's Mom's Stuffed Cabbage
- Crispy Potato Roast