Like the rest of the world, cold weather makes me yearn for comfort foods. I had some leftover Meatballs in Red Wine Gravy (which my husband really likes) and wanted to serve those with mashed potatoes, but felt the yearning for a vegetable accompaniment. Cabbage seemed appropriate, and I wanted something that was buttery and savory without being too heavy. I found this recipe in Madhur Jaffrey’s “World Vegetarian” (a wedding present that I don’t use often enough), and modified it to my own liking. Jaffrey’s recipe called for a hot chile pepper or two to be added with the shallots, and no paprika. You could vary this quite a bit to fit with whatever cuisine type you were working with.

Items

  • 1 small head cabbage, cored and thinly sliced.
  • 4-5 shallots, peeled and cut into slivers
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into slivers
  • 4 scallions, green part only, cut into 2 inch lengths and then into slivers
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp paprika, or to taste
  • 1 Tbsp butter

Method

  1. Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the shallots and saute until softened, 5-6 minutes.
  3. Add the garlic and scallions and sautee for another minute.
  4. Add the cabbage, and saute 6-8 minutes until the cabbage is softened a bit.
  5. Add the stock and cover, turning the heat down a bit, and cook until the cabbage is tender but not mushy.
  6. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, add the paprika, and finish with the butter.

Serves 4 as a side dish.