Braised Cabbage

Here is the weekly recipe. In keeping with my Southern roots I am going to focus on typically Southern foods for most of the recipes here. Another thing I want to focus on is cheap and simple, since that was a driving force in a lot of Southern cooking.

Braised cabbage is a wonderfully simple and tasty dish and I honestly don't have it enough. This recipe calls for onions which you can leave out if you want but which I think give it an additional dimension. This time of year the Vidalia onions are in season which are really nice with it. You can get a head of cabbage for under a buck most of the year and a couple of onions for another buck so you can put this on the table for pretty cheap. It goes great with pork but can live with roast beef or baked chicken nicely. Some good buttermilk cornbread is a nice addition as well.

There have many a meal served in the South where the only thing served was boiled or braised cabbage and cornbread, corn pone or johnny cakes.

3 tablespoons of bacon fat, unsalted butter or olive or canola oil
2 medium yellow onions halved and sliced less that 1/4 inch thick
1 large head of green cabbage cored and cut into 1 inch by 2 inch pieces
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

In a large dutch oven or other large pan with a lid cook the onions in the fat or oil for about 5 minutes until limp. Add the cabbage and stir to mix with the onions. Add a teaspoon of salt and about a half teaspoon of black pepper. Reduce the heat to low and cook tightly covered for 30 to 40 minutes until the cabbage is nice and tender.
Since the cabbage cooks in its own juices it concentrates the flavors nicely. The bacon fat is the traditional fat used but butter and oil are acceptable, you just won't get that hint of smokiness in the background that the traditional recipe has.

This recipe makes enough for 6 nice servings. Enjoy.