Cabbage recipe tasting an enjoyable affair

by Terry Duffy
Tribune, Dispatch, Sentinel - November 4-6, 2004

You know a cabbage fest certainly wouldn’t be festive without, well, cabbage. And what a better way to celebrate than to offer the opportunity for tasty samplings of the green leafy vegetable?

So when planning got underway to celebrate Porter’s newest claim to fame, a recipe contest proved a logical choice for organizers. Invites were extended throughout the community and the response was strong. This writer joined two other local residents as a taste tester for a whole concoction of cabbage delights -- from soups to salads, side dishes to entrees, even dessert. And while personally not exactly an aficionado, the various cabbage dishes served up for tasting by judges as well as for the dozens who perused the cabbage food tent soon after were not only interesting, they were actually quite good.

We’re not just talking your typical offerings of sauerkraut or a corned beef and cabbage dish either, but one-of-a kind cabbage concoctions prepared home style (bread and butter included) aimed to please literally every diners’ taste.

Throughout the course of an hour-plus taste up to 17 different samples were tested, with dishes rated by their appearance, ease in preparation, and of course, taste. What follows are the rankings of the best at cabbage fest (puns and Tums not included):

Appetizers

First place -- Jeanette’s Polish Sausage Soup, submitted by Mary Anne Tower Rolland.

Second Place -- Mom’s Russian Vegetable Soup, submitted by Ann Drendall.

Third Place -- Fresh Cabbage Soup, submitted by Marie Tyran.

Side Dishes

First Place -- Mandarin Cabbage Salad, submitted by Barbara Kurek.

Second Place -- Sweet and Spicy Cabbage, submitted by Bart Klettke.

Third Place -- Cabbage Cole Slaw, submitted by Helen Calandrelli.

Entrees

First Place -- Unstuffed Guompkie, submitted by Ron Sexton.

Second Place -- Grame Finn’s Cabbage Casserole, submitted by Gail Zachary.

Third Place -- Cabbage Skillet, submitted by Carol Hartwig.

Specialty Best Dessert -- Cabbage Fudge Sauerkraut Cake, submitted by Jeanette Nichols.

All told, for the most part the cabbage creations were as pleasing to the taste buds as they were to the eye. Lines of visitors eager to sample the dishes apparently found themselves of the same liking, as virtually all these delights were scooped up almost as fast they were opened on the sampling table.

A job ‘well done’ goes out to all this year’s recipe entrants.