Keep It Simple

• A pat of butter and a sprinkling of salt and pepper allow the flavor of cabbage to shine. For slightly more seasoning, add a spritz of lemon juice, a drizzle of vinegar and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. All types of vinegar pair well with cabbage, from champagne to cider, red wine, sherry or white -- use the vinegar as is or make a vinaigrette, and top the cabbage with some chopped cilantro or parsley for flavor and color.

All-American Seasonings

• Traditional seasonings for cabbage include caraway seeds and bay leaf, but like almost every other food, cabbage also pairs well with bacon. Add a bay leaf during cooking and add the other spices either during or after cooking. Or, add cooked bacon, garlic and a sliced onion to your cooking pot along with the cabbage so the cabbage absorbs the flavors of the other ingredients as it cooks. For texture, save a few pieces of crispy bacon to sprinkle on the cabbage before serving.

The Flavors of Asia

• Serve steamed cabbage with Asian-inspired seasonings while it is still slightly crunchy. Use rice vinegar and vegetable oil with a splash of soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil and minced garlic. Or, use a bottled Asian-flavored sauce that you've brightened with a little lime juice. For some heat, add a small amount of wasabi paste or powder to the sauce. Top the cabbage with sesame seeds and chopped cilantro.

Cabbage Salads

• Steamed or quickly boiled cabbage works as a warm salad in much the same way as coleslaw. Keep it on the crisp side, and season it with an orange juice vinaigrette or a dill and mustard vinaigrette. Top either vinaigrette with poppy seeds, crisp bacon or pancetta. For traditional cabbage salad seasonings, add crumbled blue cheese, finely chopped apples and toasted walnuts, along with the vinaigrette.