Friday, November 19, 2021

Skillet caramelized cabbage スキレットカラメライズドキャベツ

My wife and I are always looking for new and interesting recipes. One day, we simultaneously and independently both came up with the same cabbage recipe that appeared in the Washington Post. The article touted how glorious this cabbage dish was. Although, in general, we are not fans of cooked cabbage, we thought this might be an exciting new preparation which would significantly change our opinion much like blackened  Brussels sprouts revolutionized our appreciation of that vegetable. The picture below shows the dish just as it came out of the oven after one hour of baking.


We served a portion as recommended in the article with a dollop of Greek (strained) yogurt and dill (we did not have fresh dill so we used dry dill).  To our disappointment after all was said and done this dish was just "cooked cabbage" with a slight caraway flavor.  If you are a fan of cooked cabbage this is the dish for you. We, on the other hand, were much less than impressed. My wife said she will attempt to transform this it to something better (subject of future post).



Ingredients
1 medium head green cabbage (about 2 1/2 pounds)
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion (about 8 ounces), halved and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced or finely grated
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon fine sea or table salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup fresh dill fronds
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (nonfat, low-fat or whole)

Directions:
1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
2. Cut the cabbage in half through the core, then cut each half into four wedges, making sure that each wedge retains some core to hold it together, so that you have 8 wedges.
3. In a large, ovenproof, high-sided skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons of the oil until shimmering. Add four wedges of cabbage to the skillet and sear until the cabbage is well browned and slightly softened, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the cabbage to a plate, and then repeat with another 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons of the oil and the remaining cabbage, transferring the cabbage to the plate once browned.
4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of the oil to the same skillet. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes, then stir in the garlic and caraway and cook, stirring, until aromatic, 30 seconds more. Return the cabbage to the skillet, overlapping the wedges as needed. Season with the salt and pepper, then add the broth and vinegar and bring to a simmer.
5. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the cabbage is very tender and the liquid has reduced to about half.
6. Serve garnished with dill fronds and dollops of yogurt, and seasoned with additional salt, if desired.

We were a bit underwhelmed since our expectations were high. It was another cooked cabbage. As I mentioned, my wife is going to "make it better". She is threatening to make "cabbage curry". We will have to see.

No comments: