Class #6: Seasonal Cooking, Winter Edition
“And while other passions in your life may at some point begin to bank their fires, the shared happiness of good homemade food can last as long as we do.”
References
Class #2 - Intro to Seasonal Cooking with a downloadable seasonal produce list and fall cooking demo
Class #5 - Back Pocket Basics - shows how to cook simple quinoa or coconut rice, which would go very well with the braised cabbage
Recipes
Braised Cabbage with Mushrooms
serves 4
olive oil
1 medium cabbage (Napa, white, green, or red), sliced into 8 wedges with the core intact
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 large shallot, sliced
1 medium carrot, sliced
5 garlic cloves, smashed flat and peeled
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
pinch chile flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 lb (450 g) shiitake mushrooms or other mushrooms of choice, stemmed if needed and torn
splash red wine vinegar
grains like rice or quinoa, for serving
green onion or parsley, for serving
Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C).
Heat a 12-inch, oven-safe skillet over medium heat, and add enough oil to coat the bottom. Add the cabbage wedges to the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and sear for 5 minutes, or until the undersides are golden brown. Flip the cabbage, season with more salt and pepper, and let the other sides brown until golden. You might need to do this in batches. Use tongs to transfer the cabbage to a plate for now.
Add more oil to the skillet. Add the shallot, carrot, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Saute for about 5 minutes, until the shallots are translucent. Add the smoked paprika and chile flakes, stir around until fragrant. Add the wine and bring it up to a simmer. Let the wine reduce by about half, around 5 minutes. Add enough water to go halfway up the sides of the skillet, bring it to a simmer.
Nestle the cabbage wedges in the skillet. Roast for 30 minutes. Flip the cabbage and let roast for another 30 minutes or longer, until the cabbage is very soft, tender, and caramelized in parts. If the liquid level becomes too low at any point, add more water.
While the cabbage is roasting, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom. Add the mushrooms, along with a pinch of salt. Stir once to coat the mushrooms in the oil and salt, then let the mushrooms brown, undisturbed, until the undersides are golden and any released liquid evaporates, 5-10 minutes. Add some black pepper, stir, and let the mushrooms finish cooking for another few minutes. Add a splash of red wine vinegar, stirring the mushrooms.
Serve the braised cabbage over grains of choice, making sure to spoon any sauce and carrots from the skillet over top. Top with the mushrooms and finish with green onion or parsley.
Intuitive Cooking Takeaways
Any onion-like alliums can be used in place of the shallot: onion, red onion, leeks. The carrot can be omitted or replaced with a parsnip.
It’s fun to play around with both the spices and braising liquid in this dish. For the spices, try coriander, cumin, turmeric, curry, garam masala, dried herbs, ginger, etc. The braising liquid can look like vegetable broth, bean broth, mushroom broth, or canned coconut milk. If using coconut milk, omit the wine, and it’s especially good with turmeric/curry/garam masala and ginger.