Will and the Giant Savoy Cabbage

You've probably heard of James and the Giant Peach. It's less likely that you've heard of Will and the Giant Savoy Cabbage.


That's because that's not an actual thing.

Until now. Last Friday I found a quite large savoy cabbage at the Farmer's Market in Higganum, CT. At only $2.50 for this entire giant, beautiful cabbage, I had to give in, with no idea how I would cook it.

Peanut noodles and Asian slaw

The first thing I made with it was an Asian slaw served with peanut soba noodles Damiano made (recipes below). The cabbage was crunchy and fresh and worked great in the slaw. It's a simple recipe, both of them are actually, and I'd encourage you to try them out.

Since then, we've used a little of the cabbage to top some burritos we made, but otherwise I still have half a head of cabbage in the fridge. Any suggestions?

Recipes below the jump.

Asian Slaw

-1/3 cup vegetable oil

-1 T. toasted sesame oil

-2 T. soy sauce

-juice of half a lemon

-chili flakes and/or hot sauce

-1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

-3 cups thinly shredded cabbage of any variety 
-1/2 red onion, thinly sliced 
-1/2 cup cashews 


-To make dressing, mix vegetable oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, lemon, chili, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. 


-In a large bowl, combine the cabbage and red onion.


-In a small pan, lightly toast the cashews until golden and fragrant. Lightly chop and add to the cabbage. 


-Dress the cabbage mixture and toss well. 




Peanut Noodles


-1 package soba noodles
-3/4 cup good, unsweetened, unsalted peanut butter (don't use Skippy, the sauce will turn out gummy) 
-1 t. grated ginger
-2 cloves finely chopped garlic
-1/4 cup soy sauce
-1 t. red wine vinegar
-pinch of chili, optional
-1/4 cup neutral oil
-1/4 cup warm water
-1/2 cup chopped scallions
-1/3 cup chopped peanuts, optional


-Cook soba noodles according to package.


-For sauce, in a large bowl (to fit the noodles) mix peanut butter, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, and chili. Heat oil in a pan until hot and then add to the dressing. Thin out the sauce with water (you may need to use a little more or a little less than is called for) until the sauce is liquid but not watery. 


-Add the cooked noodles to the sauce and mix with scallions. 


-Serve warm or cold, topped with the chopped peanuts if you are using them.