Cabbage

I always dread when I get cabbage in my CSA share.  Having made stuffed cabbage before, I know how drawn-out the process is.  You basically have to take a whole day to make it.  And getting the balance between meat and rice is such a difficult prospect.  Well, this week, we got one head of cabbage to split between us, so I asked my husband what else I could make with it.  I had thought Kapusta Soup (cabbage, sauerkraut and yellow split peas), but that requires some time as well, and I have a ton of cooking to do this weekend.  I also have to start packing up my apartment and getting things moved. 

My husband, whose family is almost entirely Ukrainian (there is Russian in there as well), has favorite dishes from when he was a child.  I have learned to make many of them, but there are always new ones if I ask.  Today, he asked for Fried Cabbage.  Not only is this a quick, easy dish, but it is also made entirely from CSA products.  It's not often that I actually manage to do that. Oh, and if I didn't mention it, this is probably the tastiest dish I have made in a long while, although it doesn't meet my requirements for protein. It's probably a good thing I cannot eat much of this because of my stomach size (and my guilt over the lack of protein).

Fried Cabbage

•  1/2 large head of cabbage*
• 1 large sweet onion*
• 3/4 lb butter*
• salt, pepper and caraway, to taste

 Remove the big outer leaves of the cabbage.  Wash the cabbage to remove dirt and bugs.  Core the cabbage, removing the big ribs as well. Shred the lettuce.

Just a note here: can you believe this is HALF a head of cabbage?

 Thinly slice the onions.  In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-High heat.  Add onions and cook until they are limp.  Add all of the cabbage and cook, stirring, until the cabbage is cooked, but not mushy.  Season as desired.

*CSA ingredients