Welcome to fall! After this past week of unseasonable warm fall weather it might actually be time to put away the shorts and flip flops, close the windows, find the favorite sweaters, and think about a few fresh meal plans before we get caught up in the confusion and mayhem of planning Thanksgiving travel and cooking. Let’s say farewell to summer cole slaw, and hello to warm, braised cabbage.
Cabbage is cheap, and packed with nutrition, as well as being versatile. The last cabbage I pulled out from the heap weighed 4 pounds, and was just brimming over with meal potential. You can easily spice up your weekly menu without spending lots of money. And, as the secretary of agriculture would like to pedantically point out to us, there are plenty of food items that aren’t expensive cuts of beef.
Cabbage doesn’t have to be just the accompaniment to corned beef once a year; there are lots of ways to prepare it. I’ll bet you that right this minute some influencer in Brooklyn is experimenting with an artisanal bespoke organic cabbage smoothie cocktail, infused with vermouth, saffron, and THC. Yumsters.
When fall rolls around we tend to think fondly of oven-baked meals as a way to keep the kitchen cozy and our little bellies full. Whenever we cook pork chops I always think of cole slaw and apple sauce as good side dishes, as you know. Samsin Nosrat (Of Salt Fat Acid Heat fame.) has a better idea than my mother’s 1950’s Hellmann’s mayonnaise-inspired slaw dish. You should try this: Samin Nosrat’s Bright Cabbage Slaw. It incorporates cabbage and apples, without the fat and calories of mayonnaise. It is a bright treat on a dark winter night. You can pretend you are in California.
Nigella’s is a little more time consuming – it might be perfect for a Saturday night meal, as it is quite festive and tasty. Sweet and Sour Slaw
Now you can take your new knife skills and try something fun for Taco Tuesday: Not Your Traditional Korean Tacos Our friends at Food52 always have a tasty and clever solution for dinner, and these fresh Korean tacos will set you apart from the sodium-laden Old El Paso-mix-dependent households.
An even more sophisticated take on cabbage and wraps comes from Bon Appétit: One-Skillet Hot Sausage and Cabbage Stir-Fry with Chives. Mr. Sanders is always buying Italian sausage, and we wind up using it just for sausage and peppers, or as pizza topping. This adds another meal to our burgeoning repertoire for fall 2026.
And where would we be in the midst of fall without an easy peasy every-thing-is-in-the-kitchen-already recipe? I love recipes where everything is already on hand; in the fridge, in the pantry, in the larder, ready to roll: Pasta with Cabbage, Winter Squash and Walnuts We try to keep plenty of walnuts on hand for brownies, Mr. Sanders’s Waldorf salads, or upcoming Thanksgiving emergencies. No need to run out to the store.
Cabbage probably won’t ever be the flashy media darling that kale was, but it is dependable. Like an old friend, or an old pair of jeans. You remember it fondly and it soothes your soul. Take a look at Martha’s Mother’s Stuffed Cabbage
Go fortify yourself with some bracing autumn food while you wait for the geese to fly home, and for the leaves to start to fall.
“Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.”
—Mark Twain
