Weeknight Braised Red Cabbage

WARNING:  If you don’t like cabbage, then I can’t promise you’ll love this dish.  You know, seeing as how it’s all cabbage.  I still think you should try it though – you never know if you’ll fall in love!

BUT!  If you are a cabbage lover, you will adore this!  One thing I really like about cabbage is that besides being good for you, it’s an inexpensive way to get a really yummy side dish on the table really any time.  I love it a lot of ways – roasted with dijon or braised in butter – and this new little braised method is super simple.  The key is to slice it nice and thin to cut down on the cooking time, which also means that it gets nice and caramelized a little quicker.  By the way, you want caramelized.  That’s where the flavor lives!

I happen to live with a cabbage-hater, which basically means that I hog all of the cabbage (roasted, braised and otherwise) at all times.  Good for me, maybe not so good for Nate ifyouknowwhatImean.  Regardless, I’m in love with this quick recipe – it’s perfect on weeknights or for lunch when I’m chasing Wes around the house.  Served hot with an egg on top?  YES PLEASE.

WEEKNIGHT BRAISED RED CABBAGE

• 1 large head cabbage (red or green both work great)
• 1 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar (optional)
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large skillet fitted with a lid over medium heat.  While the skillet is heating, core the cabbage and slice it very thin.  Add the cabbage to a large bowl and toss with olive oil, brown sugar and Dijon to coat (clean hands are the best for this to make sure it all gets covered).  When the pan is hot, add the cabbage and stir for a moment to keep it from sticking.  Cover and let it cook for 10 minutes without stirring!  Remove the lid, stir, and let the cabbage continue to cook until all of the liquid is absorbed and the cabbage is starting to caramelize.  Stir and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve hot!