I am the first one to admit I have a problem. A condiment problem, that is. A problem that is only exacerbated by the fact that I live just a few miles away from Dekalb Farmer's Market, which is not really a farmer's market but is actually a giant warehouse filled with foods from around the world, in which at least a quarter of the merchandise appears to be condiments.
My latest discovery is umeboshi vinegar. Small, sour, Japanese plums (ume) are salted with red shiso leaves. This produces a savory, salty, sour, fruity, red-colored juice, which is not truly a vinegar, but is darn tasty on just about everything. The salted, shiso-seasoned plums are dried, and are then called umeboshi. One use for umeboshi is as the filling inside of onigiri, which are rice balls wrapped in nori (seaweed). So guess what's next on my shopping list? Yes, the actual umeboshi. I'm hoping my kids will love onigiri, since they love sushi. I'm thinking the onigiri are going to go in their lunchboxes, since they've been complaining so much about being tired of sandwiches. "Tired of sandwiches? OK, how about a dried plum inside a rice ball, wrapped inside a sheet of seaweed? Mwa ha ha." (Meanwhile, some kid in Japan is telling his mother how sick he is of rice balls.) But anyway, that's a project for another week.
Back to this week, and the umeboshi vinegar. I had three very small cabbages which I cut into wedges and roasted with sliced onions. Roasting works wonders on cabbage just like it does with brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli. The cabbage becomes sweet and smoky. It's great on its own, but add a few splashes of umeboshi vinegar, and well... You've taken it to the next level.
The really great thing about umeboshi vinegar is that is doesn't have that same acidic bite of other vinegars. While still sour, it's much more mellow and subtle. It really doesn't overwhelm the food at all. So, what can I say? I'm not going into rehab anytime soon.
Roasted Cabbage and Onions with Umeboshi Vinegar
3 baby cabbages, or one medium cabbage, sliced into inch-thick wedges
1 small onion, sliced
a few glugs of olive oil
salt
pepper
umeboshi vinegar (to splash on individual servings)
Preheat the oven to 375°. Place the cabbage wedges and sliced onions on a large rimmed baking sheet, and pour a few glugs of olive oil on top. Mix the oil with the cabbage and onions with your hands, then make sure the vegetables are evenly spaced on the baking sheet. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top, and place in the oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until the cabbage is soft and browned on the edges. Pass the umeboshi vinegar at the table, to splash liberally on each serving.
Back to this week, and the umeboshi vinegar. I had three very small cabbages which I cut into wedges and roasted with sliced onions. Roasting works wonders on cabbage just like it does with brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli. The cabbage becomes sweet and smoky. It's great on its own, but add a few splashes of umeboshi vinegar, and well... You've taken it to the next level.
The really great thing about umeboshi vinegar is that is doesn't have that same acidic bite of other vinegars. While still sour, it's much more mellow and subtle. It really doesn't overwhelm the food at all. So, what can I say? I'm not going into rehab anytime soon.
Roasted Cabbage and Onions with Umeboshi Vinegar
3 baby cabbages, or one medium cabbage, sliced into inch-thick wedges
1 small onion, sliced
a few glugs of olive oil
salt
pepper
umeboshi vinegar (to splash on individual servings)
Preheat the oven to 375°. Place the cabbage wedges and sliced onions on a large rimmed baking sheet, and pour a few glugs of olive oil on top. Mix the oil with the cabbage and onions with your hands, then make sure the vegetables are evenly spaced on the baking sheet. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top, and place in the oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until the cabbage is soft and browned on the edges. Pass the umeboshi vinegar at the table, to splash liberally on each serving.
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8 comments:
i <3 roasted cabbage, was my favorite use for the veg this winter, and i've been meaning to buy some umeboshi vinegar because it's showing up in recipes all over the place these days. sounds delish!
I would NEVER have thought of this combination, but it sounds great! Definitely going to try it, you know how I love cabbage. ;-)
Cabbage is my favorite vegetable. I'm not afraid to say it.
This sounds delicious! With the vinegar I would think it would think this would taste similar to sauerkraut.
@Megan: It does taste similar to sauerkraut, but definitely not as sour. And it's got the sweet roasted thing going on as well.
That's it! I'm going to get some Umeboshi Vinegar on my next DFM trip for sure. I've had a recipe call for actual umeboshi, but I either couldn't find it or it was incredibly expensive.
Hi Margie! I had a feeling the umeboshi might be expensive. I haven't tried finding them yet. Luckily the vinegar isn't very expensive, though I can't remember how much it cost. I wonder if it would be possible to pickle your own fruit, using some sort of reasonable facsimile to the Japanese version. Sounds like a project for someone with a lot more time than I currently have though.
I put ume vinegar on roasted Brussels sprouts!
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