My grandmother’s creamy cabbage or spinach

Creamy cabbage just like my grandmother used to make

This was another favourite of mine. My grandmother always served cabbage and spinach in a creamy roux-like sauce. This is great with chops or roast meat, the sauce adds moisture to the meal.

Enough for 4:

A medium size Savoy cabbage

Or about 500g of spinach

Half a small to medium size onion

A good knob of margarine or butter (my grandmother always preferred to use margarine)

1 slightly rounded tablespoon of flour

1 tablespoon of single cream (my grandmother used the creamy top of the milk)

A pinch of salt

Grinding of black pepper

Grating of nutmeg

Chop the cabbage or spinach. Heat a pan of water, a couple of inches of water is sufficient, and bring it to the boil. Put the cabbage or spinach into the pan, add salt for seasoning. Put a lid on the pan; as you don’t use much water it’s important to keep the steam in the pan. After a couple of minutes give the vegetable a good stir, folding it through the water to ensure it all gets cooked properly. Cook until soft, spinach will wilt quite quickly and won’t need more than three or four minutes, Savoy cabbage will need longer time to cook. When the vegetable is ready, drain it, but save the cooking water. Finely chop the cooked vegetables; use a knife or a food processor, my grandmother always used her old-fashioned meat mincer, the sort that clamped to the kitchen table. Put the vegetable to one side.

In the meantime, chop the onion finely. Heat the margarine or butter in a pan. Tip in the onion and gently cook until it becomes soft and transparent. Stir in the flour to make a paste. Then gradually add the vegetable water, stirring constantly, until you have a creamy sauce. Fold the chopped vegetables through the sauce, adding a grinding of black pepper. If it was spinach my grandmother would also add a good grating of nutmeg. Finally, pour on a tablespoon of single cream, or if you use bottled milk, the cream from the top, and serve. Enjoy!