Feed the Resistance by Julia Turshen

Author:Julia Turshen [Turshen, Julia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC
Published: 2017-11-04T04:00:00+00:00

Devita Davison

Executive Director, FoodLab Detroit

Southern-Style Boiled Cabbage with Smoked Turkey

I personally believe that the rest of the country is just now catching up to what Southerners have known for decades. That we can grow our food as an act of independence from, and resistance to, an unjust food system that is structurally racist, economically oppressive, and environmentally toxic.

My parents were born in Alabama, raised on farms that were owned by their families for generations. In my family our meals were born off farms and gardens. And I believe that in everything tied to creating great food and memorable experiences, there’s a human touch. The touch of life—hands tenderly kneading biscuit dough, snapping beans, shucking corn, cutting cabbage, and shelling peas—is what makes Southern food expressive and intimate, attributes that are unattainable in mass-produced foods.

I can vividly recall traditional Southern feasts— picnics, church revival dinners, and homecoming celebrations—where my grandmother, mother, and aunts filled the long tables with side dishes like field peas, string beans, fried corn, succotash, and my mother’s “world famous” Southern-style cabbage. My mother has quite a reputation for making the best cabbage and she would prepare 20 to 30 pounds of the delicacy for folks to take home. Even as a young girl, I knew my mother’s cabbage was something coveted. People would ask, “Who made the cabbage?” And if the answer wasn’t Martha Davison, they’d skip the dish.

SERVES 12

2 smoked turkey butts (or wings), rinsed

4 lb [1.8 kg] green cabbage (about 2 medium heads), sliced

2 tsp kosher salt

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 garlic clove, peeled and left whole

1 medium onion, peeled and left whole

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 small piece hot chile pepper

Place 2 qt [2 L] water and the turkey butts in a large pot set over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and let the turkey boil for 1 hour. Keep adding water as it boils to keep the level the same. Add the cabbage, salt, sugar, garlic, onion, vegetable oil, and hot pepper to the pot and cook slowly until the cabbage is tender, 40 minutes. Do not overcook.

Serve hot.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.