Smothered Cabbage
Oh what a lovely and simple side dish! This one has it all (and by "all" I mean BACON!)!
Looking around the Internet, "Smothered Cabbage" doesn't appear to live in any specific geographic or cultural origin. I'm going to label it thusly: Soulful Southern Cajun-eole. I see it labeled many ways, but none seem to officially claim it as their own.
Smothered cabbage is varied and different and originally made from whatever was on hand, at the time. It probably still is! It was usually some kind of inexpensive meat and cabbage thrown into a pot where it was smothered with some broth and other flavors, and then left to simmer until it becomes a big pool of tasty goodness.
I see all kinds of variations, including rabbit, Andouille, bacon, ham, white cabbage, red cabbage, all types of braising greens, some fruits, chilies, tomatoes, different stocks, vinegars, other vegetables, etc. There doesn't appear to be any one clear place of origin or widely accepted definition. From all of this, I've picked and chosen and blended together red cabbage with onions, apples, bacon, apple cider vinegar and some chicken stock. Not so much as to drown the whole delicious concoction, but ... JUST enough to smother it!
Looking around the Internet, "Smothered Cabbage" doesn't appear to live in any specific geographic or cultural origin. I'm going to label it thusly: Soulful Southern Cajun-eole. I see it labeled many ways, but none seem to officially claim it as their own.
Smothered cabbage is varied and different and originally made from whatever was on hand, at the time. It probably still is! It was usually some kind of inexpensive meat and cabbage thrown into a pot where it was smothered with some broth and other flavors, and then left to simmer until it becomes a big pool of tasty goodness.
I see all kinds of variations, including rabbit, Andouille, bacon, ham, white cabbage, red cabbage, all types of braising greens, some fruits, chilies, tomatoes, different stocks, vinegars, other vegetables, etc. There doesn't appear to be any one clear place of origin or widely accepted definition. From all of this, I've picked and chosen and blended together red cabbage with onions, apples, bacon, apple cider vinegar and some chicken stock. Not so much as to drown the whole delicious concoction, but ... JUST enough to smother it!
Servings: 12 Servings
Calories: 117.14kcal
Ingredients
- 8 slices raw bacon chopped
- 1 medium head red cabbage sliced into thin strips
- 2 medium apples (like golden delicious) cored, peeled and sliced thin
- 1 medium red onion cut into thin slices
- 4 each garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup chicken stock or broth
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot with a lid over medium-high heat, add your chopped bacon. Cook the bacon, stirring often, until it is crispy. At this point, you can remove some of the rendered fat, if you like, but it is optional. Fat is flavor!
- Add your sliced cabbage, apples, onions and garlic, with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Stir the ingredients together, to coat with the bacon bits and fat.
- Add chicken stock and cider vinegar. Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat to a low temperature. Allow the ingredients to simmer and steam for about 15 minutes. Remove the lid, stir and allow the steam to escape for a further 15 minutes, while the cabbage simmers away.
- When most of the juices have evaporated, the cabbage is soft, tender and delicious, taste it. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve!
Nutrition
Serving: 12g | Calories: 117.14kcal | Carbohydrates: 10.126666666667g | Protein: 3.27g | Fat: 7.6083333333333g | Fiber: 2g