My yakisoba recipe called for red cabbage, which I had never cooked with before. I bought a head of cabbage, and ended up using only about a quarter of it! I did not want to waste a perfectly good head of cabbage, so I had to figure out what to do with it!!
I knew that cabbage had kind of a bitter taste, and thought it would be best if it were cooked down or braised to mellow it out. I found some random recipes for braised cabbage and decided to just wing it!
We had gotten some pork tenderloin medallions, and apples, so I had the idea to make a red cabbage and apple side dish to go with the pork! First I sliced up an apple...
And the bulb of a vidalia onion...
I sauteed these together until the apples softened a bit. Then I added about a half a head of the red cabbage, roughly chopped...
And cooked this down until the cabbage started to soften. I added a bit of cider vinegar, as well as a tiny bit of sugar to balance it all out. I stirred to combine, covered it, and let it go for maybe 15 or 20 minutes. When it was done, the color had bled into the apples and onion, and left the dish looking like one big purple mess!!
D seasoned the pork medallions with olive oil, S&P, and put those puppies on the grill pan...
Look at those grill marks!
D also sauteed some vidalia onions with sliced white button mushrooms, just as an additional vegetable side dish.
Everything turned out pretty good, and each component complemented each other quite well! The apples in the cabbage dish softened nicely and added a slightly sweet note to the dish, which balanced out the bitterness of the cabbage. Also, the apples paired well with the pork.
Overall, I'm unsure if I'll use cabbage too frequently in the future.... but for this dish, it worked out just fine! If you have any ideas for cabbage, red cabbage in particular, do let me know!
Red cabbage and apples
Ingredients:
1/2 head red cabbage, roughly chopped
1 bulb vidalia onion, sliced
1 apple, sliced
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp sugar
S&P
Directions:
1. Saute the onion and apple in some olive oil in a large pan, until softened.
2. Add the cabbage, stir and cook for a few minutes.
3. Add the vinegar and sugar, stir.
4. Cover, let cook for 15-20 minutes, until the cabbage is softened, but still a bit crispy.
5. Season with S&P. Pair with some grilled pork. Enjoy!
Caution: Red cabbage tends to stain things, like the cutting board!
Posts
Talk about the ultimate winter dish, I love it. The Yakisoba looks amazing as well. p.s. I ADORE that cutting board is it bamboo?
ReplyDeleteThat's a stellar/futuristic looking grill pan! Great idea to combine pork and apples :)
ReplyDeleteRed cabbage goes perfectly with pork! My red cabbage with apples recipe is similar to yours, but it also contains bacon.
ReplyDeleteI'm jealous of that grill pan, nice marks on your meat!!!
ReplyDeleteI think you did very well with your red cabbage dish! Even with a little bit of running of the colors, it looks incredible, and I echo everyone's praise for the perfectly grilled meat. As for cooking red cabbage, next time, you could use that red cabbage in a borscht or even in "wilted" coleslaw or a "wilted" Asian salad!
ReplyDeleteI want your grill pan and love your yakisoba recipe! It's one of my too tired to cook standbys.
ReplyDeleteyum! you're very smart in the kitchen. I like a girl who uses her brains!
ReplyDeleteThis dish sounds perfect. I love all the flavors, apples, cabbage, pork you can not go wrong!!
ReplyDeleteYum! We, too, have a GIANT head of red cabbage in our fridge leftover from an attempt at coleslaw. I've made sesame noodles w/thin sliced cabbage TWICE, and we even used it instead of lettuce for tacos. It's still around, still haunting me! Maybe it needs to be braised w/some apples?
ReplyDeleteMmm. I'm actually quite the fan of cabbage -- and I particularly love the color of red cabbage :) (the only food I can think of that turns mashed potatoes blue!) And it's such a classic combo for pork. Great work!
ReplyDeleteLove the grill marks on the pork!
i am leaving a comment so you know i read your blog :) i like red cabbage with Ken's italian dressing, like a salad. haha. but that is awesome, i've never had it cooked. i've seen it raw with salmon before, at the Cheesecake Factory. but apples and pork are the best. you know, the more i read your blog, the more i would like to be the beneficiary of your cooking. your grill marks are brilliant :) cook on, friend, cook on!
ReplyDeleteWOWZA, this looks really good. Like everyone else, I love the pan that created those beautiful grill marks, where do I get one?
ReplyDeleteBravo, looks tasty!