Red Wine Braised Cabbage with Onions & Lemon
I love cabbage and cabbage loves me. To my surprise and delight, a cooking school that I teach at, 18 Reasons, once let me teach an ENTIRE CLASS on cabbage, originally called King Cabbage. I was thrilled. However, sales were a bit sluggish so it was decided that we rename it. I took this very seriously. Some might say, a bit too seriously.
I came up with 6 different titles, sent them out to 20 friends and colleagues and asked them to vote. There were two clear winners: “Cabbage! Veggie Superhero” and “Cabbage: A Love Story”. I included the latter on a bit of a lark. It’s pretty silly and I knew it. A few people didn’t even get it. Love story? Huh? Yes, a love story… between me, Marie, and cabbage! Dude. Come on.
Ultimately we went with “Cabbage! Versatile Veggie Superhero” which I enjoyed but my heart, fittingly, still favored “Love Story”.
So all that is to say that I really, really like cabbage.
Do you really, really like cabbage too? This is a very simple but wonderful recipe to make when it's cold outside and you want an excuse to cook something that mostly involves you simply puttering around the kitchen in a giant sweater. The cabbage becomes sweet and tender with the long and slow heat treatment. I like to get it to a place where it is almost falling apart and jammy.
If you want to double down on the soft texture, consider serving this on top of a creamy bowl of polenta. If you are craving some contrast, I recommend serving it with or on top of toasted rye bread and maybe a bit of chile crunch.
INGREDIENTS
1 small-medium head of purple cabbage cut into 8 wedges
4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 large onion, saute slice
2 tsp salt, divided
½ c (237ml) red wine
½ c (237ml) vegetable stock
1 medium lemon, zested and juiced
Fresh herbs for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Heat a large saute pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Once warm add the cabbage, cut side down. Sprinkle on a little salt and cook for 5-6 minutes, until the cabbage is browned. Flip and repeat on the remaining cut side. Add more oil if needed. Remove cabbage and set aside.
Add the remaining 2 Tbsp of oil, onion and ½ tsp of salt. Stir and cover. Cook for 10-12 minutes until the onion softens and begins to brown.
Add the red wine, stock and the 1 ½ remaining tsp of salt. Bring to a boil. Once boiling add in the cabbage, reduce the heat to low and cover.
Continue to cook for 20-25 minutes until the cabbage reaches your desired tenderness. Flip halfway through to ensure even cooking.
Once the cabbage is done, remove from the pan and transfer to a serving platter.
Turn the heat up to high and cook the red wine and onion mixture until syrupy, 1-2 minutes.
Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasonings. Drizzle mixture over cabbage and garnish with fresh herbs and lemon zest.
Serves 4-6