Smothered Cabbage

Noel

Ultimate winter side dish

~2-pound head of green cabbage, with any tough, wilted outer leaves removed

½ cup olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

½ teaspoon table salt, plus more to taste

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Plenty of freshly-cracked black pepper

1 to 2 tablespoons vinegar of your choice (I used apple cider)

Lemon wedges and fresh herbs, to serve (optional)

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Pour the olive oil into a large Dutch oven (or other large, heavy pot with a lid); add the onions and half a teaspoon of salt and cook over medium heat until soft and light golden brown, at least 20 minutes.

As the onions cook, slice the cabbage in half through the core and remove it by making wedge-shaped cuts in each half; if the exposed end of the core is dry and woody, trim it off and discard. Finely chop whatever’s left of the core and add to the pot to cook with the onions and oil. Shred the cabbage leaves as finely as you can, and set them aside.

When the onions and cabbage core have gotten nice and brown, stir in the garlic and plenty of black pepper. Let them sizzle for about a minute, until the garlic barely starts to brown and the pepper is super fragrant, then add the shredded cabbage leaves. Stir and toss gently to coat every single shred of cabbage with oil. Add the vinegar and another big pinch of salt, stir again, and cover the pot.

Transfer the pot to the oven and roast for 1 to 1 ½ hours (or more) stirring once or twice. The end product should be meltingly soft, sweet, and caramelized at the edges; keep cooking until it looks and tastes how you want. Before serving, add more salt, pepper, and vinegar to taste-you’ll be surprised at how much salt this dish can soak up, so don’t be shy with the seasoning. This is a thoroughly beige dish, so feel free to perk things up with a squeeze of lemon and a scattering of fresh herbs if you like.

There are about a gazillion ways to serve smothered cabbage, and none of them are wrong. As-is, either in a bowl with sour cream and chopped dill or piled on crusty bread with butter and grainy mustard. It also goes with any main dish you can dream up: pork and cabbage are an iconic pairing, but don’t count out salmon or roast chicken; if you’re vegetarian or vegan, try it with root vegetable mash and mushroom gravy. Leftovers can be crisped in a hot skillet and topped with a fried egg, mixed with more veggies for a delicious pot pie filling, or used in an unexpectedly fabulous risotto. However you serve it, it’s bound to change the way you think about cabbage. There are about a gazillion ways to serve smothered cabbage, and none of them are wrong. As-is, either in a bowl with sour cream and chopped dill or piled on crusty bread with butter and grainy mustard. It also goes with any main dish you can dream up: pork and cabbage are an iconic pairing, but don’t count out salmon or roast chicken; if you’re vegetarian or vegan, try it with root vegetable mash and mushroom gravy. Leftovers can be crisped in a hot skillet and topped with a fried egg, mixed with more veggies for a delicious pot pie filling, or used in an unexpectedly fabulous risotto. However you serve it, it’s bound to change the way you think about cabbage.

Consider: put a couple of potatoes beside the pot in the oven. Or boil some potatoes, mash and serve with the cabbage on top. Or slice discs of potatoes and pan fry until crispy and serve with cabbage. Or chunk potatoes in a large inch to inch and a half dice, and throw on pan with potatoes. Mmm. Cabbage and potatoes.

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