Late on Saturday afternoon Gen, Rufus and I made a trip to my local garden centre to try and find Mother’s Day presents for (oddly enough) our mums. It was a great success for, not only did I find the perfect gift, I also discovered a newly opened farm shop in the garden centre’s car park. Full of fresh fruit, veg and meat, the produce is grown/reared east of Inverness in the Ardersier/Nairn area and I was utterly delighted at the amount of information the shop keeper could give me about the vegetables.
After spending an unnecessary amount of time gushing over the various roots and brassicas, I eventually settled on buying some purple sprouting broccoli (which I feasted on tonight) and this rather beautiful cabbage.
Isn’t it pretty? So taken was I with this particular vegetable that I spent an hour on Sunday afternoon searching my cookbooks for a recipe which would let the cabbage shine. I came across some tempting cabbage roll recipes and a few interesting sounding soups but in the end I abandoned the cookbooks and made a very simple dish of cabbage and ham.
Result? I licked the plate clean. 🙂
Cabbage and Bacon
(serves one for lunch)
3 rashers of smoked bacon, chopped roughly
250g cabbage leaves, stalks cut out, leaves shredded
Salt and pepper
1 tblspn creme fraiche (optional)
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Add the bacon to a non-stick frying pan and warm over a medium heat. After a few minutes the bacon will begin to release it’s fat. Cook for 5 more minutes.
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Add the cabbage to the pan and combine well with the bacon. Increase the heat slightly and saute for 5-7 more minutes until the cabbage is wilted and soft.
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Add the creme fraiche and season carefully (remember the bacon will have added a lot of salt to the dish already).
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Serve on its own or atop some toasted bread.
A Wee Bit of Cooking 
I have a thing for purple veg, I think they are so pretty! Glad to see your found a delicious recipe to do the cabbage justice.
Wendy, I can’t take my eyes off that cabbage. It’s a beautiful image – a beautiful, frilled vegetable, too.
Love a new vegetable find. Cabbage is on my list of ‘must overcome fear of’ this winter.
Salivating over hose hammy bits, I am…
how exciting to discover a new source of local fruit and veg! Especially one with such gorgeous purple cabbages – and good on you for sticking to a simple dish – sounds like a great way to appreciate your cabbage – I confess to being a bit partial to cabbage with bacon before I went vegetarian
What a beautiful cabbage Wendy and you are so lucky to have a new outlet for veggies !!! Your cabbage dish sounds wonderful and easy. And you have my interest by using the creme fraiche! I bet that makes it very savory! Yum 😀
I love cabbage. It’s beautiful, it is delicious, and it is good for us. This weekend at the farmers’ market, a cabbage that looks quite similar to the one you photographed called me over and demanded that I take it home. I was going to cut into it tonight for a Mexican slaw, but this dish will absolutely be on my table sometime this week.
Your opening photograph is lovely.
Can’t beat this simple combo! Love it. Hope life is good.
Cheers
David
So pretty! And isn’t it nice to have some decent daylight to take pictures in at long last!!!
Another lovely post. The cabbage and bacon looks delicious.
Wish I could taste it!!!
Oooh, a perfect combo of bitter, salty and savory. GOT to try this one!
Jules – Lovely and under-rated, I think. 🙂
Lucy – Yes, you must indeed! I love how buttery it goes when sauted. And I love wrapping things in it. Ohhh, and through mashed potatoes…. yum.
Johanna – Glad you understand my excitement!
Deb – It does. I’m sure any cream would work but I love the slight edge of creme fraiche.
Christina – Mexican slaw, you say? I’m interested. I’ve just bought a new camera and so far have been delighted with the photos.
David – Thank you! It’s getting there. 🙂
Sophie – I know! I have an hour and thirty minutes of light when I get home these days. Bliss.
Sara – Thank you. Wish you could too.
Cakespy – Enjoy!
That is an absolutely beautiful cabbage – shame you had to eat it. I’ve just discovered the joys that creme fraiche can bestow on otherwise normal foods, and can see why this was a plate licker.
Hi there my name is Jeena and I have started a food recipe forum that I thought you would like to join here Click here for food recipe forum
I would love to see you on there to chat about food and cooking you can talk about anything you like and start your very own topics. 🙂
or see my main food recipe website Jeenas food recipe site
Hope to see you soon
Thanks
Jeena x
Through mashed potato! God, how utterly divine – would that be a little like colcannon?
Annemarie – I did have in sitting on a pretty plant pot on my windowsill for a couple of days!
Jeena – Thank you very much for the invite. I’m actually a member of another forum though and barely find time to comment there! You never know though… 🙂
Lucy – As far as I can tell, that would be colcannon. But it you used cold mashed potatoes and cabbage, shaped them into patties and fried them till crispy, that would be bubble and squeak. I think.
That is a beatiful cabbage! I love the purple leaves… I’ve been hungry for cabbage myself. Off to market tomorrow~
That cabbage is beautiful! You could frame that shot! Gorgeous colours!
Katie – Hope you find something nice!
Holler – Thank you! I just bought a new camera and have been playing about with it. This shot made me think I’d picked the right one.
What a stunning photo of your cabbage Wendy!! The cabbage and bacon looks delicious, wish I was tucking into this for my meal tonight 😀
Rosie x
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