Organic Russian Cabbage

Siberian Kale with Tender Leaves and Purple Veins: Sweet After the First Frost, Also Good Raw

Jagged, fern-like leaves, blue-green and purple: the cabbage that doesn't taste like cabbage.

Organic Russian Cabbage: Authentic Flavor from the Autumn Garden

Of all the leafy cabbages, Russian is the gentlest. Known throughout the world as Red Russian Kale, has flat, deeply serrated leaves, a gray-green color with bluish hues, crisscrossed by veins and stems of a deep purple that brightens in the cold. Its texture is more tender than that of kale and cavolo nero, and its flavor is sweeter and more delicate, with a slightly nutty note and almost none of the bitter or sulfurous notes that keep many away from this family of vegetables. It is the ideal cabbage for those who like to eat leafy greens raw: in salads, just dressed, it doesn't need cooking. Our Organic Russian Cabbage It's grown organically, without pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, and harvested during the colder months, when night frosts convert the starches in the leaves into sugars, making it even sweeter. A versatile, beautiful seasonal vegetable, it brings a new flavor to the kitchen, bringing an ancient tradition to life.
 
 
 

The roots of this Russian cabbage lie in the Siberian steppes

The name isn't a marketing gimmick: this cabbage actually comes from Russia. Botanically, it doesn't even belong to the same species as black cabbage or Savoy cabbage. brassica oleracea, but a Brassica napus, the same as rapeseed and Swedish turnip: a more rustic relative, born to withstand the Siberian winters, where it was grown in peasant gardens as a survival vegetable, capable of remaining in the fields under the snow. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, Russian traders brought it to North America, via Alaska and Canada, where it took the popular name of Ragged Jack, "Jacomino brrindellato," for its jagged leaves. A variety for seed collectors for a century, it has returned to prominence in the last decade with the rediscovery of kale, of which it is considered the finest and most elegant variety. The word "cabbage," finally, comes from the Latin caulis, “stem”: a plant that the ancient Romans held in very high regard, so much so that Cato the Censor wrote of it as the first remedy in the garden.
 
 
 

Choosing Organic Russian Cabbage Means Taking Care of Yourself

Leafy cabbages are among the most nutrient-dense vegetables in terms of calories, and Russian cabbage is no exception: it is an excellent source of Vitamin K, important for normal blood clotting and bone health, and Vitamin C, which in one hundred grams of raw leaves exceeds the daily requirement. It provides beta-carotene and lutein, precious pigments for vision, as well as easily absorbable calcium, potassium, and fiber. Like all brassicas, it contains glucosinolates, sulfur compounds that have been extensively studied for their protective properties, are present in Russian lettuce with a much milder flavor than in other varieties. Eating it raw or lightly blanched maximizes the preservation of heat-sensitive vitamins; seasoning it with a drizzle of oil helps absorb fat-soluble vitamins. With about 40 calories per 100 grams, it's the perfect vegetable for light, filling dishes during the colder months.
 
 
 

How to Best Use: Organic Russian Cabbage

• BARLEY SOUP, RUSSIAN CABBAGE, AND TRASIMENO BEANS – The dish that warms autumn evenings. Make a sauté with Organic White Spring Onion e Organic leek in slices, add theOrganic Pearl Barley , Slow Food Organic Trasimeno Bean, cover with broth and cook until the legumes are tender; only in the last five minutes add the Russian cabbage cut into strips, so that it remains green and bright. Finish with a grating of Organic Mountain Parmigiano Reggiano DOP 30 months and, if you like, put the crust in the broth while cooking.
• KALE CHIPS WITH SESAME AND TURMERIC – The crunchy snack that makes you forget about chips. Separate the leaves from the stems, dry them well, and massage them with a spoonful of Slow Food Organic Sesame Seed Oil, a grip of Breton Grey Salt PGI and a pinch of Organic Turmeric Powder; spread them out on a baking tray without overlapping them and bake at 150°C for 12-15 minutes, until they become thin and crispy like paper. Serve them with Mint and Sage Kombucha cold.
• Pizzoccheri with Russian cabbage and smoked stracchino cheese – The Valtellina recipe, with Russian cabbage instead. Boil the Organic Purple Potatoes Cook the Pizzoccheri Valtellinesi in small pieces in salted water, after ten minutes add them and, three minutes before the end, the chopped Russian cabbage. Drain and arrange in layers in a hot baking dish with the Smoked Seasoned Stracchino into slices, then sprinkle with melted butter in which you have dissolved a clove of Fermented Black Garlic, sweet and balsamic. In the glass, the Organic Sulphite-Free Cabernet IGT Animae.

Seasonality and Conservation

Russian cabbage is a cold-weather vegetable: it's harvested from October until the end of winter, and the best leaves are those picked after the first frost, as they're sweeter and more tender. It can be kept in the refrigerator's crisper drawer for four or five days, wrapped in a damp cloth or paper bag; don't wash it before storing. To enjoy it year-round, blanch the leaves in boiling water for one minute, cool them, squeeze them, and freeze them in portions. The larger, tender ribs of this variety can be cooked with the leaves or diced for sautéing.
 
 
 

Nutritional Values ​​(average values ​​per 100g of product)

• Energy: 180 kJ / 43 kcal
• Fat: 0,9 g
• of which saturated fatty acids: 0,1 g
• Carbohydrates: 4,4 g
• of which sugars: 1,0 g
• Fiber: 4,1 g
• Protein: 2,9 g
• Salt: 0,1 g
• Vitamin C: 93 mg (116% NRV)

Estimated values ​​based on the average composition of raw leaf cabbage.
 
 
 

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