Can't Stop Eating These Braised Russian Dill Potatoes, Cabbage & Carrots

Written By Elaine Perlman

I love cabbage and have developed a huge hankering for a taste like that peppery strudel I used to feast on when I lived in Budapest. I've been searching for cabbage dishes. 

In Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, Russian cabbage comes in many forms, including the gold medalist, Russian cabbage ravioli, also known as vareniki. When I'm there, I buy 50 frozen ones and bring them home, because I'm not into Herculean commitments like making my own ravioli.

Last week, I was at one of those delis with steam dishes. I snagged a to-go dish and piled it high with:

Russian Boiled Potatoes

chop & boil potatoes with skins on. DRAIN. Add FRESH dill + salt + pepper + 

vegan butter OR olive oil

Save the potato water. Use it for your cabbage stew. 

On top of the take-out potatoes, I added a layer of vegetarian shredded braised cabbage and carrots.  

Just now, I made my own version of this insanely good for you & delicious dish. 

Russian, Carrot Cabbage Stew

Into a large saute pan, add:

half a sliced cabbage + 2 shredded carrots + 1 diced shallot + diced Field Roast meat-less Italian sausages, NOT tofu hot dogs.

Saute and occasionally stir at MEDIUM with 2 T oil for 10 minutes. Add enough potato or plain water so there's a little puddle at the bottom.

Cover. Steam it for a few minutes. When it's looking dry, replenish with  a little water. Keep doing this until your cabbage is cooked through,. Toward the end of the cooking, add an equal amount of liquid to the amount of gravy you want in the end. Taste as you go. Add salt and pepper at whatever stage you like. If you like, throw  in the juice of one fresh lemon OR 1-3 Tablespoons of a good vinegar right before serving. 

Cabbage is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin C and vitamin B6. It is also a very good source of manganese, dietary fiber, potassium, vitamin B1, folate and copper. Additionally, cabbage is a good source of choline, phosphorus, vitamin B2, magnesium, calcium, selenium, iron, pantothenic acid, protein and niacin.

Cabbage is among the world healthiest foods.

It's cheap, too. 

Elaine Perlman

Elaine is aiming to pass two federal laws in the United States, the End Kidney Deaths Act and the Honor Our Living Donors Act. Elaine is the Executive Director of Waitlist Zero, an advocacy group that seeks to end the kidney shortage and provide kidneys to the 90,000 people who are waiting for their lives to be saved in the United States. Both Elaine and her son Abie gave their kidneys to strangers. Elaine founded the groups NYC One Kidney Club, Kidneys 4 Strangers, and Vegan Kidney Donors. She leads the Global One Kidney Club meetings and the Ask Me Anything meetings for the National Kidney Donation Organization. She is also on their Mentoring Team. Elaine cohosted an National Kidney Foundation workshop about the benefits of plant based eating to promote kidney health in addition to a cooking demonstration. Elaine has been a mentor for Plant Powered Metro New York during nine Jumpstarts that help people make the transition to plant based eating.

From 2016-2022, Elaine was a Professor and Program Director for the Peace Corps Fellows Program at Teachers College, Columbia University. For 30 years, she has been a teacher of nearly every subject for all grades from 2-11, in addition to 7 years of teaching children under the age of five. Elaine was a public school specialist teaching children in grades 2-5 about eating healthy foods in the South Bronx, Crown Heights, and Harlem through the Coalition for Healthy School Food. Elaine has painted eleven school murals. She completed the Columbia University course "Food and Nutrition For All," the Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate course from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and eCornell and the Main Street Vegan Coaching Certificate course.

http://elaineperlman.com/
Previous

Banana Rhubarb Cake