Some of my grandmother's recipe cards are very detailed, with every measurement written out. Others are more like a reminder to herself. This is one of those. It lists five ingredients and gives three short instructions: layer it, cook it till tender, salt it. She didn't need more than that because she'd made it so many times.
Take a close look at the card and you'll see "Onion" was added later in a different pen. I like to think she made it once without and decided it needed one.
Here's what the card says:
German Cabbage
Cabbage
Carrots + Onion
Green Peppers
Tenderized ham
Place in casserole in layers. Cook till tender. Salt to taste.
Since the card doesn't give amounts or times, we borrowed them from a published ham and cabbage casserole by The Southern Lady Cooks, which uses the same cabbage, onion, green pepper, and cooked ham. Her version has a cheddar sauce. My grandmother's didn't, so the plain version comes first, the way the card has it. The cheesy version is below if you want it.
Serves 8. Takes about 1 hour.
Amounts and method adapted from Scalloped Cabbage and Ham Casserole by The Southern Lady Cooks.
Ingredients
Grandma's way
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1 small head green cabbage, chopped
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1 medium onion, chopped
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1 cup chopped green pepper
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1 cup thinly sliced or shredded carrots
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3 cups water, for steaming
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2 cups chopped cooked ham
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Salt, to taste
For the modern cheese sauce (optional)
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4 tablespoons butter
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3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
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1¼ cups milk
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½ teaspoon salt
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½ teaspoon black pepper
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1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
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¼ cup bread crumbs
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2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
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1 teaspoon paprika
Method
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Heat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9 by 13-inch baking dish.
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Put the cabbage, onion, green pepper, and carrots in a pot with the water. Cover and steam until the cabbage is soft. You can also do this in the microwave, about 10 minutes.
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Drain the vegetables well.
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Layer the vegetables and ham in the baking dish, the way the card says: a layer of vegetables, a layer of ham, and repeat, ending with vegetables. Salt each layer lightly as you go.
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Cover the dish with foil and bake until it's hot all the way through. Everything is already cooked, so you're just heating and letting the flavors come together. Taste and add more salt if it needs it.
For the modern cheese version: Skip the foil. After step 4, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter in a skillet, stir in the flour, then whisk in the milk and cook until smooth. Stir in the salt, pepper, and cheddar. Spread the sauce over the casserole. Sprinkle on the bread crumbs, dot with the butter pieces, and dust with paprika. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes, until the crumbs are brown on top.
A few things worth knowing
What's "tenderized ham"? Older recipes and grocery labels used words like this for ham that was already cooked and ready to eat. Any fully cooked ham works: leftover holiday ham, a ham steak, or thick-sliced deli ham cut into pieces.
Drain the vegetables really well. Cabbage holds a lot of water. If it goes into the dish wet, you'll have a puddle at the bottom.
Go easy on the salt. Ham is already salty. Salt lightly while layering and taste at the end.
Cut the carrots thin. Carrots take longer to soften than cabbage. Thin slices or shreds make sure everything is tender at the same time.
If you want to add something, a pat of butter on top or a pinch of caraway seed would suit it. The card doesn't call for either, so they're up to you.
Good with
Cornbread, rye bread with butter, or a pan of boiled potatoes. It's a whole supper in one dish, and it's even better the next day.
