Happy Wednesday! I love finding new recipes on blogs! So I thought I might add one of my very favorite side dishes: braised cabbage! It compliments many meals very well, and it’s just plain awesome with beer or wine. (Yeah, ask a German!) I’d love feedback on my recipe writing skills… I am a fly by the spoon type of chef. I love cooking immensely, and with 6 mouths at every meal… I do it quite a bit. 😉
Braised Red Cabbage (try green, too!)
You will need:
- 2-5 lbs. red cabbage (I always make a ton for leftovers, and I also feed a small child army)
- ~1/4 cup canola or olive oil
- few pinches of salt
- apple cider vinegar, about 1/4 cup
- pinch of granulated garlic, optional
- vegetable stock (I use cubes, choose your favorite!)
- 1 medium onion
- 1 medium apple
Begin my cutting your cabbage head in half. You can use every leaf that is not “rubbery” or too stiff. Discard the center white heart. Cut into large pieces, however is comfortable for you.
Peel and cut both the apple and the onion, into larger chunks. Add a slash of oil into a large covered pot. Add onion and cook several minutes, until sizzling. Add apples. Cook for several minutes, until fragrance fills the kitchen.
Add cabbage, handfull at a time. Add a bit more oil, (garlic if desired) salt, ~1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (more if you like a more sour flavor). Stir to coat all cabbage. Preheat oven to 350 F
and cook for about 15 minutes, until cabbage has wilted a bit. The cabbage will not be as vibrant.
At this point you will add the last pinch of salt and ~2 cups vegetable stock. Stir well. You do not need to fully submerge the cabbage in the stock, but you should have enough liquid to see it.
Cover pot and put in oven. You will cook the cabbage for at least 3 hours. Be sure to take out the cabbage to give it a peek every hour or so. You’ll want to make sure there aren’t any leaves stuck to the pot. You will see that it’s finished cooking by noting how much the cabbage has reduced in the pot. The cabbage will be soft, like a freshly looked artichoke heart. Serve with pasta, rice, or eat as a snack. (which I do frequently!) You can even eat it cold!
Enjoy!
Zen Mama 