Steamed White Cabbage with Pepper and Juniper

Green Vegetables Keep you Fit
Poster by the New Zealand Department for Health, 1950s
Found on Wikimedia Commons

Ingredients

1/2 head of white cabbage, larger than a grapefruit; chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

3 peppercorns

3 dried juniper berries

water

Still life with cabbage, celery, grapes and game
1666, by Peter van Boucle (1610-1673)
Found on Wikimedia Commons

Method

In a pot, sauté the cabbage lightly in the olive oil and seasoning, trying to coat the leaves and make them a little translucent, no more than 5 minutes.

Pour water just to the top of the cabbage.

Bring to a boil.

After it has boiled 1 minute, place the pot in a heating box or (if you are happy to wash the tea cozy right afterward to get rid of any cabbage scent) put it underneath a tea cozy for 1 hour. Bring to a boil again just before eating.

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Tips

1. If you don't have a heating box or a tea cozy, keep simmering until tender enough for a fork to pierce all the way through the largest piece.

2. Generally the advice for boiling cabbage is not to overdo it, as this increases the risk of flatulence after eating it. 

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Can be served with sausages, if you eat meat. If not, it would probably be nice to eat in a modified bubble & squeak with potatoes.