As much as I love cooking and baking there are days when the sun is shining and the temperature is perfect for an outing in the park. On those days I pull out my trusty slow-cooker.
Last week we had one of those days. We usually go to the traffic park at least once every summer. The traffic park is great. It has traffic signs, crosswalks, one-way streets, sidewalks and an intersection with real traffic lights. Not only did we have loads of fun (even Mom and Dad took turns driving the adult-size “car”) it is a very pocketbook friendly place to go since it is free of charge.
Before we left for the park, I browned the ground hamburger, chopped up one spring cabbage, an onion and some herbs. Next I grated some carrots and mixed in some uncooked rice, water, salt, pepper and chili. I prefer using the Crock Pot 5.7 liter slow cooker with a timer. As we headed out the door I set the timer on my slow cooker for four hours. When we came home with our bunch of hungry kids it was all ready to go. Very easy and very simple.
The spring cabbage casserole is an interesting dish. It strongly divides opinions. Some love it and others don’t. It may not be a beauty when it comes to outward appearances but it definately is worth a try. It is good wholesome food made out of simple ingredients that are both healthy and budget friendly. In the recipe below I used spring cabbage but regular cabbage works just as well. In Finland the first batch of spring cabbage to appear in the produce section is from Hungary. Around mid-summer, spring cabbage from local producers is also available.
Spring Cabbage Casserole
750 g/1.6 lbs ground beef/hamburger, browned
1 onion chopped
1 spring cabbage (about 700 g/1.5 lbs) chopped
150 g/5.3 oz or about three carrots coarsely grated
2 dl/just under one cup of rice
4 dl/1.7 cups of water
2 tsp of NoMU Pork ( a spice mix from South Africa that contains no additives or flavor enhancers) includes thyme, rosemary, cumin, black pepper, oregano, paprika, coriander and natural smoke flavor.
one handful of fresh parley and chives chopped fine
a pinch of freshly ground chili
salt and pepper to taste
Brown hamburger meat. Add all other ingredients into the slow cooker and let it do its magic.
Cook on low for four hours. Serves 8.
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