Char Siu Duck Legs over Braised Cabbage

Char Siu Duck Leg over Braised Cabbage
Char Siu Duck Legs over Braised Cabbage
🦆 🥬 🦆 🥬 🦆
Celebrating the Lunar New Year

The year turns. The celebration continues…

Food is central to 🧧 Lunar New Year because the holiday is rooted in family reunion, symbolism, and wishes for the year ahead. The celebration isn’t just about marking a date — it’s about expressing hope, gratitude, and continuity through the shared table.

Lunar New Year, Bellagio Las Vegas
Lunar New Year, Bellagio Las Vegas

Char siu — literally “fork roasted” — is the Cantonese barbecue style known for its glossy, caramelized finish and sweet-savory depth. While traditionally associated with pork, the same lacquered glaze works beautifully with duck, where the rendered skin takes on a deep mahogany sheen and delicate crispness.

I served the duck over wedges of green cabbage slowly braised with sliced carrots and sweet onion in olive oil and chicken stock, then finished under the broiler so the vegetables picked up their own smoky edges.

The char on the cabbage mirrors the roasted notes of the duck, while the hearty winter vegetables anchor the dish in the season. A scattering of fresh cilantro sprigs brightens the plate and adds a fresh, herbal contrast. With poultry long associated with unity and celebration, it feels like a thoughtful festive way to mark the Lunar New Year.

Char Siu Duck And Cabbage Recipes

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Corned Beef and Green Beer

Corned Beef and Green Beer

🍀🍺 Corned Beef and Green Beer 🍺🍀

While Corned Beef and Cabbage is often associated with St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the United States, it certainly can be enjoyed year-round. It’s a hearty and satisfying dish, loved by many, and almost impossible to mess up!

Now, Green Beer is definitely a once-a-year tradition. Serving green beer on St. Patrick’s Day emerged in the US as a fun and festive way to celebrate the holiday. While it may not have deep historical roots, it has become a popular tradition associated with the celebrations. One drop of food coloring in a glass of beer does not affect the taste, and adds a magical element to the festivities!

Green Beer

Corned Beef and Cabbage Recipe

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Lima Bean and Sauerkraut Soup

Lima Bean and Sauerkraut Soup

Lima Bean and Sauerkraut Soup

It isn’t the prettiest soup, but it sure is unique and flavorful and perfect for a cold weather meal. With plenty of sauerkraut left over from my Reuben Latkes, this Sauerkraut Soup was on the menu!

Sauerkraut soup, also known as kapuśniak in Polish, is a traditional Eastern European dish that features fermented cabbage as a key ingredient.

Kapuśniak typically contains a variety of vegetables such as carrots, onions, and potatoes. These vegetables add sweetness and depth to the soup. Instead of potatoes, this version features plump large lima beans. A good source of protein and fiber – large lima beans have a creamy texture, and a slightly sweet, buttery flavor.

Smoked sausage or kielbasa are often added to sauerkraut soup too, but this one is intentionally meatless. It’s a great comfort food, and many variations of the recipe exist, allowing for personal preferences and regional differences.

Dill is popular in Polish cuisine – bright and grassy, herbaceous and aromatic, fresh dill enhances the overall sensory experience of soup. And here, a generous dollop of sour cream balances out the sauerkraut. Homemade artisan bread with butter is the perfect accompaniment for dunking in the savory sour broth.

Lima Bean and Sauerkraut Soup

Lima Bean and Sauerkraut Soup Recipe

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Adaptable Stuffed Cabbage for These Unusual Times

Stuffed Cabbage Recipe

Stuffed Cabbage with Mexican Crema and Walnuts
Jasmine Rice, Beef, Castelvetrano Olives, Herbs, Lemon

When I saw this recipe from Bon Appétit, I thought… I have a head of cabbage, I can make my own version without having to go to the dreaded grocery store. The result was a mighty tasty and quite striking Stuffed Cabbage made with everything on hand.

Give it a try! Use the recipe as a blueprint to incorporate what you have available. It’s actually quite fun to make the substitutions.

You’ll definitely need a cabbage, any kind will do. And long grain rice, fresh herbs, some kind of sour cream or yogurt, some nuts, an egg or two. And there you go!

The recipe is flexible; add meat or not, onion is nice but not mandatory. I like savory olives but you may like sweet raisins. Lemon is good for tart notes, but no lemon? No problem, Bon Appétit uses sumac in their recipe. No dill? Use parsley. Butter is great but olive oil would work just fine.

The recipe is easy, I did use quite a few pots and pans however. But hey, there’s plenty of time for doing dishes…

Adaptable Stuffed Cabbage Recipe

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Corned Beef and Cabbage Tacos

Corned Beef and Cabbage Tacos

Corned Beef & Cabbage Tacos
Carrots Escabeche, Charred Corn Tortillas
Caraway Horseradish Sauce

Got left over corned beef? Try corned beef & cabbage tacos. Yep, nestled within charred corn tortillas are cubes of tangy salty spiced leftover corned beef topped with seasoned green cabbage, a creamy caraway horseradish sauce and pickled carrots. These vivacious tacos are filled with an adaptation of the ingredients found in that classic St. Patrick’s Day recipe. Except potatoes. But if you are missing the potatoes, I have a recipe for that too (see below).

Corned Beef and Cabbage Tacos

Corned Beef and Cabbage Tacos Recipe

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