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Foldin’ Money Cabbage

December 29, 2009 by The Runaway Spoon 8 Comments

IMG_3358 Foldin' Money Cabbage

So we’ve discussed that Black-Eyed Peas are good luck on New Year’s Day, representing any number of things. Greens are said to bring prosperity in the New Year, largely because they represent foldin’ money.  Many people choose to cook up a mess of collards or turnip greens, but I choose cabbage, for what represents a stack of good green money more than cabbage. And like the black-eyed peas, I include some instructions to help the recipe along.

This is a real trip South, cooking greens with smoked turkey necks, but that lovely smoky flavor makes a real difference.  And it can be a nice departure to cook the greens with turkey if you cook your black-eyed peas with ham.  I find the turkey necks in the smoked meat section of the store (did you know there was a smoked meat section?), where I also find ham hocks, other smoked turkey parts and salt pork and the like.  If you can’t find smoked turkey necks, a smoked ham hock will do.  And when buying the cabbage, look for a whole head with the darker green outer leaves still attached.  You may find these more readily at farmer’s or produce markets, or ask the produce person in the supermarket if they have a head that hasn’t been cleaned up for display. Don’t worry about blemishes, and just rinse off those outer leaves.  The dark green leaves really add color and texture to the finished product.  These greens can be left simmering on the stove for hours, you can even take them off the heat mid-way and then start up again if you get interrupted. If you’d like to pull the meat off the turkey necks and serve it with the cabbage you can, though there won’t be too much meat, or just discard them. If you use a ham hock, I’d definitely serve the meat.

Foldin’ Money Cabbage

I usually find the turkey necks already cut into pieces, so I use about 4 chunks.  Or cut up a whole neck.

1 smoked turkey neck, cut into chunks

½ cup sugar

2 Tablespoons Creole seasoning (I like Tony Chachere’s)

1 head green cabbage, with the dark outer leaves intact

Put four cups of water in a large Dutch oven (5- 7 quart) and add the turkey necks. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  Add the sugar and Creole seasoning, stir, cover and simmer for an additional 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, rinse the cabbage well to clean those outer leaves.  Do not discard the dark green leaves.  Cut the cabbage in half and remove the core from each side.  Slice each cabbage half into thin strips, then cut the strips in half.  Make sure to get the dark outer leaves cut into strips, they tend to fall off when slicing.

Remove the turkey necks and set aside.  Drop in the cabbage strips, shuffling to separate them, into the simmering water.  Give the cabbage a quick stir, then cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes.  Take off the cover and check that the cabbage is wilted down.  If not, cover again and simmer until it is.  When the cabbage is wilted, cook over medium-low heat with the cover half on the pan for an hour or so until the liquid is reduced to just a little potlikker in the pan.

Makes 4 nice bowls

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Filed Under: Farmers Market, Fruit and Vegetables, Holiday Cooking, Meat Poultry Seafood, New Years, Sides, Southern Specialties, Turkey, Vegetables Tagged With: cabbage, New Year's, smoked turkey necks, Southern specialties, Vegetables

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jill O'Connor says

    December 29, 2009 at 8:27 pm

    I love cooked greens, but don’t make them often enough. These sound so good. Would it be just as tasty with kale?

  2. tigerfish says

    December 30, 2009 at 5:46 pm

    This looks like how the Chinese make Chap Chye (braised mixed vegetables stew) 😉

  3. mom2boys says

    December 31, 2009 at 6:53 pm

    Sounds really good. In recent years my family has started eating spinach for foldin’ money luck. Maybe this is what I should be doing…

  4. martha says

    January 1, 2010 at 6:51 pm

    My store did not have necks so I’m using a wing. fingers crossed, also, i’m using kale, b/c that’s what i have, but i will try it with cabbage next. The wings came in a package of two and one’s in the freezer waiting for cabbage.

  5. lmgkoester says

    January 1, 2010 at 9:08 pm

    Was eating greens tonight at a New Year’s Eve party, and the vegetarian chef fessed up to using liquid smoke instead of ham/turkey – couldn’t tell the difference! Wonder if it would work in this…

  6. Angela says

    January 1, 2017 at 3:09 pm

    This is surprisingly sweet – if you’re not used to your greens having a sweet taste, you might consider cutting the sugar to 1/3 cup. Other than that, it’s delicious! Here’s to a prosperous 2017.

Trackbacks

  1. The Runaway Spoon » Black-Eyed Peas for Luck says:
    December 30, 2009 at 5:09 pm

    […] Foldin’ Money Cabbage    Peppermint Angels […]

  2. Cast Iron Collards « The Runaway Spoon says:
    January 1, 2014 at 12:19 pm

    […] adhere very solidly to tradition of eating black eyed peas and greens on New Year’s day for luck and prosperity.  I have a wonderful New Year’s Eve tradition, so on […]

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I'm P.C. I think I am like most people. Somewhere in the middle between food snob and food schlub. Just being in the kitchen makes me happy. I live, mostly in my kitchen, in my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee.

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