Corned beef and red cabbage

Wow, it feels like weeks since I’ve written here. I’ve written in other blogs but because I’ve been doing some very long hours, it’s not been easy to plan and cook and write.

Corned beef and red cabbage

Red cabbage

Tonight I went with another almost ‘prepper‘ type meal but it was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend. Conversation with a friend you question? Aren’t we all meant to be social distancing? Well, as I’ve written elsewhere, I prefer the term “physical distancing” so I can remain socially active.

Shelf of shame

Anyway, I was chatting with a friend on the Message app and I mentioned my shelf of shame and I sent her a photo. She said she’s had a tinned corned beef and cabbage meal before.

Hoarding done properly. Shelf of shame has more Spam, Corned Beef, and Fray Bentos steak and kidney pie.
Hoarding done properly. Shelf of shame has more Spam, Corned Beef, and Fray Bentos steak and kidney pie.

It got me thinking. I really like cabbage as a low carb alternative to noodles (or for Italian friends, pasta). I also have a well-stocked shelf of shame at the moment.

Recipe

Corned beef and red cabbage

Corned beef and red cabbage with lots of other vegetables. COVID-19 cooking for one.

  • ¼ Cabbage
  • 2 cup Vegetable stock
  • 1 tin Corned beef
  • 3 Leeks
  • ½ cup Cooked carrot, celery, and onions
  • 1 tin Corn kernels
  • ¼ cup Frozen baby green peas

Cabbage

  1. Cut a cabbage into four

  2. Shred quarter of a cabbage

  3. Put the shredded cabbage into a saucepan

  4. Add the 2 cups of vegetable stock

  5. Bring the cabbage to a boil and simmer until the cabbage starts to get soft

  6. Pour the cabbage and cooking liquor into a collander and drain

  7. Put the cabbage in a bowl while beginning the corned beef cooking.

Corned beef

  1. Pre-heat a frying pan

  2. Add a little Queensland nut oil (or other high vapour point oil)

  3. Slice some leeks and add them to the frying pan and sauté

  4. Open the tin of corned beef and empty the meat into the frying pan and begin to fry off with the leeks

  5. Cook the corned beef until it begins to take on some colour

  6. Add in some curry powder, make sure it's enough to give the corned beef some colour but more important, make it enough to give it a taste to your liking

  7. Open the tin of corn kernels and drain the fluid out and pour the corn kernels into the frying pan and stir through

  8. Add in the cooked carrots, celery, and onions and stir through

  9. Add in some the drained cooked shredded cabbage and stir through

Plating up

  1. Put the remaining cabbage in the bottom of a bowl

  2. Add the corned beef on top of the cabbage

  3. Serve with chopsticks



Disclaimer

I have no culinary training nor qualifications.

This post is not intended to convey any health or medical advice.

If you have any health concerns about anything you read, please contact your registered medical practitioner.

The quantities are indicative. Feel free to vary the quantities to suit your taste.

I deliberately do not calculate energy for dishes. I deliberately default to 500 Calories or 500,000 calories because I do not make these calculations.

Photographs

Corned beef and red cabbage with leeks, corn, peas, carrot, celery, onions, and cherry tomatoes.
Corned beef and red cabbage with leeks, corn, peas, carrot, celery, onions, and cherry tomatoes.
Close up. Corned beef and red cabbage with leeks, corn, peas, carrot, celery, onions, and cherry tomatoes.
Close up. Corned beef and red cabbage with leeks, corn, peas, carrot, celery, onions, and cherry tomatoes.

Questions

Do you get inspired by friends often?

All the time. If a friend mentions food I will almost always listen and think about how I might make it.

Why is it called red cabbage when it’s clearly purple?

I have no idea. I love purple. It’s my favourite colour and reminds me of my favourite bacterium, viz., Chromobacterium violaceum.

What effect will all that cabbage and the leeks and the onions have on your bowels?

It’s probably good that I live alone. I’ve currently got the windows open.

Final thoughts

  • Crunchy cabbage is good. If you don’t like crunchy cabbage cook it for longer.
  • This recipe made enough for two, so I have another meal for later in the week unless someone else wants it 😂
  • Yes, they are Lindt balls in the background of some of the photographs.

14 Responses

  1. Good to see you back here Gary! I love red (purple) cabbage. Just roasted with a bit of oil and salt is good for me although I think I’d also like this one with more variety and textures.

  2. Are bacteriologists allowed to have “favourite” bacteria? Isn’t it a bit like favourite children? The other bacteria will be acting up and telling their psychoanalysts about it for years!

    1. Thanks 😂 Given bacteriologists like to collect in colonies, we chatter and gossip and get up to know good. We are the troublemakers of medicine, because secretly we want our favourite bacteria to take over the world. I mean, I see AMR as a victory for microorganisms and it hurts my heart every time I’m consulted on how to treat an infection to save a human because I know bacteria will die 🤣

      Yep, I’ve been working so hard I have no idea of right or wrong any more 😜

  3. Excellent! I have red cabbage in my fridge needing used up. Hope the manic nature of your work eases off soon…

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