Make braised sweet and sour cabbage wedges with ease
When it’s cold outside, I yearn for dishes that include this amazing vegetable. I’ll cook up cabbage with apples into a wilted bed for juicy roast Cornish hens, as a soothing soup with or without beef, and in a fresh shredded cabbage salad studded with pomegranate seeds and bits of fresh citrus.
Recently, I was reminiscing about a meal I had enjoyed many years ago in Paris that included soft, braised sweet and sour cabbage wedges. It was a first course to a hearty dinner on a chilly February night. I so enjoyed that clever adaptation
Braised sweet and sour cabbage wedges
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Makes: 2 to 4 servings
¼ cup vegetable or grapeseed oil
1 medium green cabbage, cut into 4 wedges with core intact
2 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup cider vinegar
2 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
¼ cup golden raisins
Salt and pepper
Sour cream, garnish
Dill weed sprigs, garnish
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet with cover over medium-high heat. of the classic cabbage soup. This is my recollection of that tasty and satisfying dish that is certain to satisfy a craving for a comforting dish.
The sauce is easy to make. Tomato paste added to chicken stock is the base. For sweet and sour flavor, brown sugar and cider vinegar provide just the right balance. I prefer golden raisins, but you could also use dark raisins. Make sure to brown each side of the cabbage wedges.
While I might have had this in Paris as a first course many years ago, I find it just right as a main course with warm crusty chunks of country bread.
To drink? How about a merlot or a chilled beer? Enjoy.
2. Place the cabbage in the pan turning and saute the wedges on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side, until nicely browned.
3. While the cabbage is cooking, combine the chicken broth and tomato paste in a glass measuring cup and whisk to combine. Add the tomato-chicken broth, vinegar, sugar, raisins, and salt and pepper to taste; bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and slowly simmer, turning every 15 minutes and spooning some of the sauce over, until the cabbage is tender and the liquid is slightly thickened, 50 minutes to an hour depending upon the size of the cabbage. Taste for seasoning.
5. Place each wedge in a shallow soup bowl with some of the sauce and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and dill sprigs.
Makes: 4 to 6 servings (about 2 quarts sauce)
3 medium carrots
1 large yellow onion
2 stalks celery
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds ground turkey, preferably 85% lean 1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
½ cup dry red wine
½ cup whole milk
¼ cup tomato paste
18 ounces fresh linguine pasta
Parmesan cheese, for serving
1. Peel and coarsely chop 3 medium carrots and 1 large yellow onion. Coarsely chop 2 celery stalks. Mince 4 garlic cloves. Place the carrots, onion and celery in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and pulse until finely chopped, 6 to 8 pulses.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the chopped vegetables and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.
3. Add 3 pounds ground turkey and break it up into large pieces with a wooden spoon. Add 1 teaspoon dried oregano and
½ teaspoon kosher salt. Cook, breaking the turkey up with the spoon as much as possible, until cooked through, about 10 minutes.
4. Add 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, ½ cup red wine, ½ cup whole milk and ¼ cup tomato paste, and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook uncovered until slightly thickened and lightened in color, 20 to 25 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
5. When the Bolognese is ready, taste and season with kosher salt as needed. Reduce the heat for the pasta water to medium. Add 18 ounces fresh linguine and cook according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
6. Reserve 2 cups of the Bolognese for a leftover meal. Add the remaining cooked Bolognese to the pasta as desired and toss to combine. Thin the sauce as needed with the reserved pasta water. Serve immediately with a generous grating of Parmesan cheese.