SPICED ‘SMOTHERED’ CABBAGE and APPLES by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan
December 22, 2017
I don’t know when, where or how I started using ‘smothered’ as a cooking technique. I know that I didn’t invent it. So, I ‘Googled’ it: Lo and behold it is a bona fide cooking technique with roots deep in Southern cuisine. It is defined as covered, slow cooking with minimal added liquid. I ‘smothered’ the red cabbage by slow cooking it, covered, in the oven, in apple cider vinegar and its own juices released during the cooking process. The result is a silky, deeply flavored side dish worthy of your holiday table. I am going to serve it alongside a Crown Roast of Pork!
- Prep: 45 mins
- Cook: 15 mins
- Yields: Approx 2 quarts
Ingredients
2 heads red cabbage, approximately 5 pounds total weight
1 pound large red onions, peeled and diced
¼ cup olive oil plus more as needed
6-7 ounces diced pancetta, ¼ inch cubes **
4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced wafer-thin
1 pint (approximately) French apple cider vinegar ***
Kosher salt
2 pounds apples, peeled and sliced
Freshly ground pepper (added at end of cooking, as part of final seasoning)
1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons ground coriander seed
1 ½ teaspoons caraway seeds, coarsely chopped (not ground)
Directions
Equipment:
Dutch oven, enamel coated or stainless steel (pure cast iron will react with the vinegar and could yield off-flavors) with a tight-fitting cover
1-2 sheets of parchment paper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Begin by prepping the heads of cabbage.
Pull off the outer leaves (if any) until you have reached the tight, compact head. (These tough outer leaves could be washed and finely sliced and added to soup, for example.)
Slice the stem end off completely. You now have a flat surface at the bottom of the cabbage; this makes for safer slicing. Slice the cabbage into four (4) quarters. Trim away the white, tough core from each quarter and discard.
Slicing the cabbage: If you have a food processor with a slicer attachment, you could certainly use it here. You will get much smaller pieces and a final product with a bit less texture. If, however you are always looking to improve your knife skills…slice the cabbage by hand!
Take each quarter piece, in turn, and lay it flat down on your cutting board. An inner triangular-shaped piece will become loose. Take this piece and slice across the ‘grain’ into 1/8th inch slices. Flatten the remaining piece (of the first quarter) and slice the same way…across the triangular piece from top to bottom. Repeat with the remaining 3 quarters. Set all the sliced cabbage aside, in a bowl, waiting to be cooked.
Cooking: Put your dutch oven on the stove and heat over low heat. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and add the pancetta. Cook the pancetta and render the fat slowly. When the pancetta seems translucent add the diced onions. Stir to combine thoroughly. Season with a couple of pinches of kosher salt. Add the garlic slices and stir. Turn heat to low, cover the pan and cook until onions are softened and translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Remove cover and sprinkle with vinegar. To do this: put one finger over the end of vinegar bottle and ‘douse’ the onions by shaking a couple of teaspoons of vinegar on top of the onions. Stir to combine. The red onions will turn pinkish from the vinegar.
Add the cabbage: I visually divide the cabbage into 3 batches. Add one third of the cabbage to the pot, sprinkle with kosher salt and douse with another couple of teaspoons of vinegar. Repeat with the rest of the cabbage. (Adding the cabbage in batches will ensure that the whole batch is evenly seasoned.)
Remove from heat. Cover surface of cabbage with a large sheet of parchment paper (or aluminum foil).
Press the paper flat down on top of the cabbage. This will keep the moisture in the pot from escaping. Cover the pot with it’s lid and put into the preheated oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, take pot out of oven, carefully remove cover and parchment. Mind the escaping steam! Stir the cabbage, mix completely. Replace the parchment paper, cover and back into the oven for 30 more minutes.
Prep the apples: While the cabbage is cooking, peel and slice the apples. At the end of the second ½ hour of cooking, remove the pot from the oven and stir in the sliced apples. Taste for seasoning. A bit more salt? Another dose of vinegar? Remember that the apples are now going to sweeten the cabbage. Re-cover pot and cook for another 30 to 40 minutes. The apples will have softened and ‘dissolved’ into the cabbage.
To finish the dish:
At the end of cooking: remove cover and parchment paper. Let pot sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the Dijon mustard, the ground coriander seed and chopped caraway seeds. Now add 8 (or more!) twists of the peppermill. Taste for seasoning—add more salt, pepper or vinegar to your liking.
Let cool completely, transfer to another dish and refrigerate until ready to serve. Reheat on stove-top over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
** Pancetta is Italian bacon that is cured, but not smoked, and rolled. It is now widely available in grocery stores. You can sometimes purchase it already diced or ask the deli clerk to cut ¼ inch thick slices which you can then dice into neat ¼ inch cubes.
***French apple cider vinegar or other ‘artisanal’ apple-cider vinegar is less acidic than its generic counterparts.
In general, small-batch vinegars are handcrafted and have more mellow and fruit-forward flavor characteristics. Worth the extra cost in your recipes.
