Best Winter Side Dish – Stewed Cabbage
Cabbage is not respected, which is a shame – it may be the most versatile vegetable on earth. From the delicate leaves to the sweet crunchy heart , I love every part of every kale and have made it my mission to make others feel the same.
One of the most powerful tools in my arsenal of cabbage propaganda is Marcella Hazan’s strangled cabbage, which turns everything you hate about cabbage upside down. I admit that “strangled cabbage” is a tragically non-sexual phrase, but the dish itself is unusual. This is one of those super easy, slow and slow recipes that turn a handful of simple ingredients into something really special. Aside from the cabbage – as well as salt and pepper – you need onions, some garlic, some vinegar, and a healthy dose of olive oil. That’s all. How much olive oil? At least half a glass. Don’t think too hard about it; this is Marcella’s recipe. Trust the process.
Talking about the process, this one couldn’t be simpler. Marcella asks you to simmer the cabbage over very low heat on the stove; I prefer slow baking in the oven. While both methods accomplish much of the same, I’m less likely to constantly poke and push a heavy saucepan in a hot oven, and choked cabbage is best left alone with me. (Another benefit of the oven bake method is that you can toss the pot of this product next to the pork loin or chicken and sit back while the main and sides cook themselves.) The end result is sweet, juicy and velvety. without the bitterness or bite you’d expect from kale – basically, it’s a dish that can beat a skeptic. Give it a chance.
Oven-baked cabbage stew
Resist the urge to “exalt” it — all you need is plain old green cabbage. Savoy has a terrific crunchy texture that is best served raw, while red cabbage stew should always be sweet and sour, Bavarian at least in my opinion. Just buy a big green cabbage, okay? They are as cheap as dirt and will last in the refrigerator for literally several months, even if you forget to wrap them up.
Ingredients:
- A head of green cabbage weighing approximately 2 pounds without the tough, wilted outer leaves.
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt, plus more to taste
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- Lots of freshly ground black pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons of your choice of vinegar (I used apple cider)
- Lemon wedges and fresh herbs for serving (optional)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325ºF. Pour olive oil into a large Dutch oven (or other large heavy saucepan with a lid); add the onion and half a teaspoon of salt and cook over medium heat until soft and light golden brown for at least 20 minutes.
While the onion is cooking, cut the cabbage in half through the pith and remove it, making wedge-shaped cuts in each half; if the open end of the pith is dry and woody, cut it off and discard. Finely chop whatever is left of the pith and add to the saucepan to cook with onion and butter. Chop the cabbage leaves as finely as you can and set them aside.
When the onions and kale are nice and brown, add the garlic and lots of black pepper. Let them sizzle for about a minute, until the garlic starts to brown and the pepper is very aromatic, then add the chopped cabbage leaves. Stir and stir gently to coat each cabbage wedge with oil. Add vinegar and another large pinch of salt, stir again and cover the saucepan.
Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours (or more), stirring once or twice. The final product should be tender, sweet and caramelized around the edges; keep cooking until it looks and tastes the way you want it to. Add more salt, pepper and vinegar to taste before serving – you’ll be surprised how much salt this dish can absorb, so feel free to season it. This dish is completely beige in color, so feel free to add some lemon and herbs if you like.
There are millions of ways to serve cabbage stews, and none of them are wrong. I love it as it is, either in a bowl of sour cream and chopped dill, or on crispy bread with butter and grainy mustard. It also goes with any main course you can dream of: pork and cabbage are an iconic pairing, but don’t count salmon or fried chicken; If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, try it with root vegetable puree and mushroom gravy. Leftovers can be sautéed in a hot skillet and sprinkled with fried egg, mixed with vegetables for a delicious pie filling, or used in an unexpectedly delicious risotto . No matter how you serve it, it will definitely change your attitude towards cabbage.