Cabbage: A Few Fun Facts (and a Recipe)

If you’ve ever travelled around middle and Eastern Europe, you’ve probably noticed the important role that cabbage plays in many national cuisines: cabbage rolls, sauerkraut, steamed cabbage, caramelized cabbage, and the list goes on.  And let’s be honest, who doesn’t like a nice side of cooked cabbage on cold winter’s day or a refreshing and light cabbage salad on a warm summer’s day (I must say, I’m a pretty big fan of American coleslaw.)  

Per acre, cabbage yields more edible vegetables than any other plant

Welcome back!

We are so happy to finally be back.  It turns out the the holidays (and all the aftermath) can be a little exhausting, overwhelming, and busy.  That being said, we are happy to be starting these posts back up.  It's the middle of February, which in Montreal-speak means we're all bundled up inside our apartments afraid of the bitter-cold outdoors.  In other words, there is no better time to cook and write about cooking.  

Basil and I decided to kick-off 2014 with a bread post.  Why?  Well, I'm not quite sure we even know the answer to that one.  When Basil sent me the bread recipe for this post, she prefaced it by saying that she didn't quite know where to start. "It's hard not to be overwhelmed with all the things I could say about bread!!" she wrote.  And of course, she is right!  Bread is amazing.  End of story. 

Boterkoek for the Holidays

… and so ends our section on Mediterranean cuisine.  While Basil and I could have cooked Mediterranean food for much longer, we decided it was time to move onto another geographical region. 

The posts you will read in the New Year will focus on food from Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands.  This more Northern region of Europe has a wealthy culinary heritage to offer, including the famous pretzel, over 600 types of bread, countless stews, and delicious strudel.    Characterized by hearty meals and rich flavours, German, Austrian, and Dutch cuisine present our Canadian palates with enough of the familiar to make us comfortable and a lit bit of the exotic –we did after all make a rabbit stew!  

Before we leave you for the holidays, here’s an amazing Dutch dessert recipe that Basil and her family make every year. 

This crowd-pleasing dessert will have people coming back for seconds. 

Happy Holidays everyone and see you in the New Year!

Baked Greek White Fish

Greece has a long tradition of psaro-tavernas (fish taverns) along its coast. Taverna’s in general typically serve a few main dishes which change seasonally, two or three mezedes (appetizers) and a dessert. Adding psaro, which means fish, before taverna allows the business owners to ensure that patrons will know what they’ll be getting. They usually sell a selection of fresh fishes caught that day, which you can buy per kilo to be made in the style of that particular tavern. It’s a bit like choosing between beef, chicken or fish in a Chinese restaurant. You know what the sauce is going to be but you get to choose the protein.

A classic Greek taverna

A selection of the day's catches at a psaro-taverna