Sunday, July 8, 2007

Bubble and Squeak


This little fuzzy fellow is who I found when I googled "Bubble and Squeak." Apparently his owner really likes cabbage and potatoes!

I first saw the recipe for Bubble and Squeak on an episode of what was possibly the best cooking show of all time: Two Fat Ladies. Their recipe calls for melting a large hunk of lard in a pan, and then when the fat is good and hot, they add cooked brussels sprouts and sliced potatoes and fry it until it's caramelized and crunchy. The recipe's unusual name is onomatopoeic - as "bubble and squeak" is supposedly the sound the vegetables make while they're cooking. At the time, I was far less adventurous when it came to food, and I thought the recipe - and the name - was just disgusting. Lard? Brussels sprouts? No, thank you.

Since then, I've become better friends with the Brassica genus, and now I love cabbage in all its forms. Napa and savoy cabbage, brussels sprouts, collard greens, turnips - all delicious! The only thing I'm still leery of is mustard greens. Mustard greens seem a little too "hardcore" of a leafy green for me. But - who knows what the future might bring? Maybe next year mustard greens will be my new best friend.

So anyway, back to my story. This morning I realized I had a half a head of cabbage in the fridge and some lovely little new potatoes that were screaming to be eaten. I had read that brussels sprouts and cabbage were interchangeable in this recipe, so I decided it was high time to give Bubble and Squeak a test run, but with butter and olive oil instead of lard. It didn't make any squeaky sounds while it was cooking, which was a disappointment. But it did look pretty damn good on the plate, with a pork sausage on the side. And it tasted really good, too.


Bubble and Squeak
1 lb cooked potatoes (any kinds will work) sliced or mashed
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 lb cooked cabbage, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Heat butter in a 10-inch heavy nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then add cabbage and potatoes, mashing and stirring them together, while leaving some lumps and pressing to form a cake. Cook, without stirring, until underside is crusty and golden, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Gawd, that looks good!!!