Bubble and Squeak (de Jong Style)

A few years back, when I was first learning to cook, I asked my friends for their favorite easy recipes. One of my friends sent me this recipe she called Bubble and Squeak. It's super easy, quick to make, full of veggies, and delicious. It's become a staple in our house, and one of my go-to recipes when I don't feel like cooking. 

It's one of those recipes that is quite forgiving and flexible. After I made it a few times, I looked online to find out how other cooks change it up. 

Please do not pin this image for our site. Please pin from the source: Serious Eats.

My little Google search taught me two things:

1. Much like Dutch hutspot, this is a meal with a story. British housewives made Bubble & Squeak as a creative way to feed their families during the difficult days of rationed foods during World War 2. The name comes from the sound the dish made as it bubbled and squeaked in the fat while cooking.
2. Our version is very different from most recipes you find online, including the recipe pictured above. We start with hamburger, cabbage, onion, and carrots. The traditional recipe often used leftover roast beef (and may even been vegetarian), eggs and potatoes, and is shaped into patties. 

I haven't been able to find another recipe similar to ours--which is a tweaked version of the one my friend sent me--so we just call it Bubble and Squeak, de Jong Style. 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion
• 1 T. butter or coconut oil (optional)
• 1 small head of cabbage (about 3 cups)
• 2 carrots diced or cut in matchsticks. (about a cup)
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• salt and pepper to taste

Note: We try to avoid using our microwave so I try to remember to take whatever meat I need out of the freezer the day before and let it thaw in the frig. I'm so happy that we found a local source for our beef. 

Instructions:

1. Brown beef in a skillet. 

2. Add onion and cook until it is transparent. 

3. (Optional) Add a pat of butter or coconut oil. 

4. Add enough cabbage to fill up the skillet. We prefer the purple cabbage, but green cabbage works as well. We like to buy it on sale, chop it up and freeze it. It saves us money and time because chopping cabbage is not our favorite task!

5. Once the cabbage has softened a bit, add the carrots. In this case, I was out of carrots, so I improvised by adding a veggie medley from the freezer. 

6. Cover and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes.    

7. Stir the veggies and make sure they are cooked through.

8.  Add fennel, paprika, garlic salt, salt, and paper. You can play around with the spice mix. Add others, skip our suggestions. For us, the fennel makes this dish! 

9. Let everything cook a few more minutes, stirring well to combine the spices. 

10. Serve and enjoy. Eet smakelijk! 

Here's a photo of our bubble and squeak made with green cabbage and matchstick carrots. 

What is your favorite "I'm tired and don't feel like cooking so you can whip this together without thinking" meal?

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