22. Bamboleo. . . (jambalaya: cabbage edition)

Let's be real here for a second: we're all getting fat. I mean, I'm not getting fat. I look great. But I mean, generally, you know, as a culture, and as we age, our arteries are getting fatter if not our waistlines. Okay I'm getting bored of this but what I'm trying to say is that we should all eat more cabbage. One, because it's full of vitamins and fiber. Two, because it's sweet and crunchy when it's raw, and sweet and soft when it's cooked. Three, because it can taste great in a lot of unexpected places. I mean, not THAT unexpected. Still in food.

A friend gave me the idea to use shredded cabbage instead of noodles for added nutrition in salad rolls, which tastes great although it facilitates rice wrapper breakage. I would recommend adding cabbage in its many forms--savoy, bok choy, napa--to stir-fries and fried noodle dishes like pad Thai, and to soups. But my favourite such addition is to jambalaya.

We know from eating cabbage rolls that rice, meat and tomatoes lend itself well to the vegetable, so when I came across this recipe I knew it'd be da shit. I did change the recipe based on my taste and what I had, but I think I improved it. Here's my version:


1 small chicken, cut into recognizable chicken parts (reserve back and neck and all that nastiness for stock)
2 hot italian sausages, chopped
2 onions, chopped
1 red pepper, diced
3 cloves coarsely chopped garlic
1 coffee mug raw brown rice
1 medium head cabbage, shredded
1 can (14 oz) tomatoes (I used diced fire-roasted, which really just means it has brown bits)
olive oil
water
lots of salt and cayenne

In a big pot, brown seasoned chicken parts in olive oil and remove to a plate. Add sausage to the pot, get it a little brown and add onions, pepper and garlic. Reach for the cajun spice but instead grab and pour in wayyyyyy too much cayenne. Stir in rice. When that stuff is brown and soft and whatever then add the cabbage. It will seem like a ton of cabbage but just do it. It will release cabbage juice and cook down; stir in canned tomatoes, then water according to your rice directions (I used long-grain brown rice so I needed a cup and a half of water), then lay the chicken on top and simmah until your rice is done. Mine took about 25 minutes.

Best part? You don't have to make side veg! You just ate all that cabbage! Live long and prosper, homeboy.