Ethiopian Kapusta?

Cooking fabulous cabbage dishes crosses just about every cultural divide. From continent to continent, cabbage is a cross-cultural culinary staple. It’s inexpensive and with a few added ingredients, you can whip up delicious and healthy main entrees, sides, and even dessert. If you’re daring, Hungarian Sweet Cabbage Strudel makes for an interesting sweet treat.  

Cabbage is an economical vegetable; easy to find in any supermarket and it gives you a big nutritional bang for your buck. Cabbage possesses phytochemicals including sulforaphane, which studies suggest help protect against cancer-causing free radicals, and indoles, which help metabolize estrogens. Packed with vitamins K and C, it’s also an excellent source of dietary fiber, vitamin B6, folate, manganese and Omega 3 fatty acids.

Farmer Paul’s cabbages are early this year. Our entire garden has had an accelerated harvest because of the heat. There’s only so many golumpki I’m willing to roll in an evening and with two kinds of cabbbage this year, I needed to find a few new recipes. This traditional Ethiopian dish fit the bill. And oh boy, is it tasty!

ETHIOPIAN CABBAGE AND POTATO (Atakilt Wat)

1/2 cup olive oil

4 carrots, coarsely grated

1/2 onion, finely grated

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 head cabbage, shredded

5 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

Pinch of red pepper flakes

1/4 cup canned vegeatble broth 

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the carrots and onion in the hot oil about 5 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, cumin, turmeric, and cabbage and cook another 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in broth. Add the potatoes; cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until potatoes are soft, about 20 to 30 minutes.