BRAISED CABBAGE

"World's Best Braised Cabbage"

Farmer's Market

I know when you think of Cabbage you turn your nose up....but this recipe deserves some praise. With the cabbage, onions and carrots and seasonings along with the long braising time it brings out a delicious flavour and not too mention the aroma going through your home. Be sure and not have any clothing hanging around or your clothes will be the same smell like the cabbage that you just braised for days.

Coming from a Ukrainian background (which I've never been to that country yet) I grew up with cabbage.......it was due to the fact that my Dad loved anything with cabbage. We would have pickled cabbage or sauerkraut every year that my Mom, Aunt and Grandma along with Grandpa slave away at shredding all that cabbage on one of those hand slicers and shredders......and they had no fingers missing either. :-) But that was a long time ago.....when I was a kid and that practice stopped when my Grandparents passed away. I guess that's how they grew up and still practiced that method. Now for sauerkraut I hit the supermarket and get a good old jar....which I really don't eat too much of either.

My most favourite cabbage dish was the Cabbage Rolls...that is too much work, very labor intense. Reason being is that I would do 4 or 5 large cabbages......this way I can give one of brothers a pan full of them. This procedure takes me two days......one de-leafing those darn cabbages and the next day making the filling and rolling them up...here is my recipe; http://erica-sweetonyou.blogspot.ca/2011/11/cabbage-rolls.html

 Bin full of cabbage...all picked over.

 Farmer's Market, a truckload full of cabbages and at the end of the day they are all gone.

This recipe I got from a Foodie Buddy and cooking blog that I belong to. Her name was Becky and she had the best recipes with stories to tell......Becky (RIP) you are sadly missed.

This is the best time of the year for some nice young fresh green cabbages.

World's Best Braised Green Cabbage

Source; Molly Stevens...from All About Braising

1 medium head green cabbage (about 2 pounds)

1 large yellow onion (about 1/2 pound), thickly sliced

1 large carrot, cut into 1/4-inch rounds

1/4 cup chicken stock or water

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

Fleur de sel or coarse sea salt

 Heat oven to 325°F. Lightly oil gratin dish or baking dish (about 9-by-13-inch).

Peel and discard any bruised or ragged outer leaves from cabbage. Cut into 8 wedges. Arrange wedges in baking dish in a single layer, and scatter in onion and carrot. Drizzle with oil and chicken stock and season with salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Cover tightly with foil. 

Slide into the middle of the oven to braise until the vegetables are completely tender, about 2 hours. Turn the cabbage wedges with tongs after an hour. Don’t worry if the wedges want to fall apart as you turn them; just do your best to keep them intact. If the dish is drying out, add a few tablespoons of water.

Once cabbage is completely tender, remove the foil, increase oven heat to 400°F, and roast until the vegetables begin to brown, another 15 minutes or so. Serve warm or at room temperature, sprinkled with fleur de sel or other coarse salt.

Variation:...After you remove the foil, sprinkle on 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, then turn the cabbage with tongs to distribute the vinegar, then roast for 15 minutes, uncovered, as directed.

Note:....This is great to be heated up the next day for about 15 to 20 minutes in the oven, but I sometimes just nuke it for a few minutes.
I never turned my cabbage wedges around half-way.....I just left them there but I did season them on both sides before. 
This time around I used my medium sized roasting pan......but for company coming I use a glass 9x13 glass Pyrex dish or a nice white oblong baking dish it looks prettier.
The carrots sometimes I cut coin size or as you can see I did them in chunks.

 Ready to eat.

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY. I'm linking to Foodie Friday.