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Varză călită
Varză călită: slow-braised cabbage with tomato, bay and thyme
Ask a Wallachian grandmother what goes with hot mămăligă on a winter weeknight and she may well point to a pan of varză călită. Fresh white cabbage is shredded and braised for the best part of an hour with onion, tomato, bay and thyme until it turns amber, silky and faintly sweet; in January many cooks use sauerkraut from the barrel instead, rinsed once to tame the salt. With no meat or butter it is a classic fasting (post) dish, though outside the fasts it also sits next to sausages and roasts. The usual slip is turning up the heat to hurry it, which scorches the base before the cabbage softens. Chef's tip: a spoon of vinegar and a pinch of sugar at the very end wake up the flavour without making it taste sour.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 ⅝ lb white cabbageabout 1 small head, finely shredded
- 4 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 onionthinly sliced
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup tomato passata
- ¾ cup water
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 pinch sugar
- 2 tbsp dill (optional)chopped
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Put the 2 ⅝ lb white cabbage in a large bowl, sprinkle with half the ½ tsp salt and rub with your hands for a minute until it starts to soften and give off juice.
5 minStep 2: Heat the 4 tbsp sunflower oil in a wide casserole over a medium heat and fry the 1 onion until soft and pale gold.
6 minStep 3: Add the cabbage and its juices and stir for 5 minutes, until it wilts and turns translucent at the edges.
5 minStep 4: Stir in the 2 tbsp tomato paste and 1 tsp sweet paprika and cook for 1 minute, until the paste coats the cabbage and darkens.
1 minStep 5: Add the 1 cup tomato passata, ¾ cup water, 3 bay leaves, 1 tsp dried thyme, 8 black peppercorns and the rest of the ½ tsp salt. Bring to a simmer.
2 minStep 6: Cover and braise over a low heat for 40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes and adding a splash of water if the base looks dry.
40 minStep 7: Uncover and cook for a final 5 minutes, until the liquid has reduced to a glossy coating and the cabbage is completely soft and amber.
5 minStep 8: Stir in the 1 tbsp white wine vinegar and 1 pinch sugar, taste for salt, fish out the bay leaves and scatter with 2 tbsp dill to serve.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 150 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 19 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does varză călită take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of white cabbage?
- Savoy or spring greens, same weight.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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