When cabbage is cooked, the cover should be removed from the kettle. This plan permits of the evaporation of much of the strong flavor, which arises in the steam, which would otherwise be reabsorbed by the cabbage. It is the retention of this flavor, together with long cooking, that causes this vegetable to disagree with persons who eat it. If it is cooked in an open vessel and it is boiled just long enough to be tender, an easily digested dish will be the result. 

INFORMATION FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS

CABBAGE WATER TO BE THROWN AWAY
Always remember that water in which cabbage is boiled should be thrown down the sink the moment the cabbage is of it, while it is quite hot. A pailful of cold water thrown after it will prevent the unhealthy smell arising from the water. But if it be left till it is cold before you throw it away, twenty pails of water thrown after it will not prevent the smell.

CABBAGE PUDDING
Chop up small, enough white cabbage to fill a large baking pan when done. Put it in a pot of boiling water that has been salted. Let it boil until tender, then drain thoroughly in a colander. In two quarts of the cabbage, stir half a pound of butter, salt and pepper to taste, one pint of sweet cream and four eggs beaten separately. Add also, a pinch of cayenne pepper. Put in a pan and bake for half an hour.

SOUR CABBAGE
Beat one-half cup of sour cream until smooth. Add three tablespoons of vinegar and one beaten egg. Pour over chopped cabbage raw or boiled, and mix thoroughly. Serve on lettuce.

STUFFED CABBAGE
Use a savoy cabbage.* Open up the leaves and wash thoroughly in cold water. Put in salted boiling water and boil five minutes, then take out without breaking and put in cold water. Make a stuffing of sausage meat and bread crumbs which have been moistened and squeezed. To a half pound of sausage allow one egg, two tablespoons of minced onion browned in butter, a pinch of parsley, and four tablespoons of minced, cooked ham. 

Drain the cabbage and open it up to the center. Between the leaves put in a half teaspoon of the stuffing, fold over two or three leaves, put in again and so continue until the cabbage is filled. When finished, press it as firmly as the case will allow. Tie up in a piece of cheese cloth, put into boiling water, and boil two hours. Serve the cabbage in a deep dish and pour over a cream sauce.

*savoy cabbage – a variety of cabbage that has crinkled, emerald green leaves.

HOT SLAW
Pick off the bad leaves from a small head of cabbage, then slice or cut the cabbage very thin. Scald it five minutes in two quarts of boiling water and drain through a colander. Mix it well with a sauce made of one-fourth cup hot vinegar, one cup sour cream, the yolks of two eggs, three tablespoons oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Put all in a saucepan, add one cup water, and allow it to cook until the water is about half evaporated. Then melt two tablespoons butter in a pan and to it add one tablespoon flour, one-half teaspoon salt, and one-third cup vinegar. Then stir one beaten egg in quickly and pour this sauce over the cabbage at once. Allow the mixture to cook until the sauce has thickened, stirring constantly to prevent the curdling of the egg. Serve hot.

PEPPER HASH (Uncooked)
Chop one head of cabbage, one bunch celery, one half dozen green peppers, and one half dozen peeled and sliced onions fine together and let stand over night. Drain in the morning. Mix the chopped vegetables with one quart of vinegar, two cups white sugar, one half cup salt, two tablespoons mustard seed, and one tablespoon celery seed. Seal in jars. This keeps well all winter.

CREAMED CABBAGE
Remove the outer leaves from a solid, small-sized head of cabbage, and cut the remainder as fine as for slaw. Boil four cups finely cut cabbage until it is tender and then drain the water from it. Cover closely and allow it to cook rapidly for ten minutes. Drain off the water and add half a pint of new milk, or part milk and cream. When it boils, stir in a large teaspoon of either wheat or rice flour moistened with milk. Add salt and pepper, and as soon as it comes to a boil, serve. Those who find slaw and other dishes prepared from cabbage indigestible will not complain of this.

CABBAGE SOUP
Take a white cabbage and slice it up, then throw it into some stock or water, with some leeks and slices of turnip. Boil the whole till the vegetables are tender, then flavor with pepper and salt. This is sometimes called Cornish broth, though in Cornwall a piece of meat or bones are generally boiled with the vegetables. When no meat is used, too much water must not be added, but sufficient liquor* must be served to make the vegetables thoroughly moist. Perhaps the consistency can best be described by saying that there should be equal quantities of vegetables and fluid. Then cut up some pieces of bread into small squares. Lay them in a tureen, and pour the soup upon them.

*liquor/pot liquor – usually refers to the nutritious leftover water of boiled meat; pot liquor usually refers to leftover water from boiled greens. In this instance, it could just be water.

CABBAGE A LA HOLLAND
This is a favorite dish in Holland. Put together in a saucepan a small head of red cabbage shredded, four tart apples peeled and sliced, one tablespoon butter or drippings*, one teaspoon salt, one-half teaspoon pepper, and a little sprinkling of cheese or nutmeg. Stew over a slow fire at least three hours. Mix together one tablespoon vinegar, a little flour and one tablespoon currant jelly. Just before taking from the fire, add this mixture to the cabbage, boil up once or twice and serve.

*drippings – the fat and juices from the roasting pan when cooking meat.

CABBAGE SALAD
This salad requires about a pint and a half of chopped cabbage. The cabbage should have the loose leaves removed, the stem cut out, and then be laid in cold water twelve hours. Chop rather fine, and pour over and mix with it a boiled dressing.

Boiled Dressing: Heat three-fourths cup milk and beat two egg yolks with a fork. Mix with the egg one-half teaspoon mustard, one-half teaspoon salt, one teaspoon, and a few grains of cayenne. Cook a tablespoon of butter and flour together and add half a cup of vinegar. Now cook the milk and egg mixture together like a soft custard and combine with the other part. This dressing, if sealed tight, will keep a long time.

When the cabbage and dressing are mixed, fill little individual molds and set away to cool. After-dinner coffee cups, wet in cold water, make good molds. Bits of red beet or half an olive put in the bottom of the mold before the cabbage is put in will make a pretty garnish when the salad is turned out.

CABBAGE SALAD A LA CALAIS
First make a dressing in the following manner: Take two raw eggs, two teaspoons salt, two teaspoons dry mustard, one fourth teaspoon cayenne pepper or paprika, five teaspoons of sugar, one tablespoon butter, and two tablespoons milk. Mix well and beat with a fork. Then take one cup of vinegar and boil separately. Pour slowly over the other mixture and when this is done, boil slowly until thick.

Grind up a fair-sized head of cabbage, one medium sized onion, and two green peppers from which the seeds and fiber have been removed. Then mix with the dressing and serve.

SWEET SOUR CABBAGE
Cook one quart fine shaved cabbage in three-fourths cup water for about twenty minutes. Add two tablespoons butter, one teaspoon salt, one-fourth cup sugar, one-half teaspoon caraway seeds, and one-fourth cup lemon juice. Simmer slowly until the cabbage is tender.

CALE-CANNON
Boil separately some potatoes and cabbage. When done, drain and squeeze the cabbage, and chop or mince it very small. Mash the potatoes, and mix them gradually, but thoroughly with the chopped cabbage, adding butter, pepper and salt. There should be twice as much potato as cabbage.

Cale-cannon is eaten with corned beef, boiled pork, or bacon.

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