Cabbage is sexy (or life is filled with surprises)

Recipe: Braised cabbage with sausages and roasted potatoes

Watching the Winter Olympics has made me think of cabbage. Cabbage probably originated in some part of Russia. It's one of the coldest-weather vegetables in the world. It has also been called The World's Healthiest Food, but is it sexy? Well, think about it.

Cooked cabbage, in this case braised cabbage, is soft and silky. When you eat it, it warms you all the way through and makes you feel loved. It has been known to contain a chemical that boosts DNA repair in cells, resulting in beautiful skin and healthy organs. You can't deny it - that's sexy.

Obviously now you can't wait to make and eat some cabbage. Here's an easy dish I made for Wayne and me on a recent rainy night. It took a little more than an hour to make and most of that time was spent braising in the oven. We built a fire in the fireplace and played a game of dominoes while it cooked. Unfortunately W beat me. Drat. At least dinner was good.

Braised Cabbage with Sausages and Roasted Potatoes

• A small green cabbage, or half of a large one. Cut the head in quarters and cut out the cores. Then cut the quarters (or one of the halves if it's a big one) into rough chunks.
• Half of a mild to hot chili pepper, chopped fine. (optional)
• 1 bay leaf
• A few sprigs of fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme plus another 1/2 teaspoon
• 1/2 cup chicken stock plus an extra 1/4 cup
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 tablespoons butter
• Salt and pepper
• 6 small red potatoes, or a couple of large ones cut into chunks
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 good uncooked sausages. I used boudin blanc (rice sausages) in the photo.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Pack the chunks of cabbage and the chopped peppers into a Dutch oven or another deep baking dish. Insert the bay leaf and 1/2 teaspoon thyme into the chunks.  Pour in the chicken stock and the wine, and cut pieces of the butter and strew them over the top.

Heat the pot on the stove until the liquid is simmering. Then turn off the heat, cover the pot, and put it in the oven for 45 minutes.

At the same time, roast the potatoes. Toss them in a baking dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil and the rest of the thyme and put them in the oven next to the cabbage pot.

When the cabbage and the potatoes have roasted for 45 minutes, take them out of the oven. Put the potatoes into the pot with the cabbage and gently mix them in. If the pot seems a bit dry, add a little chicken stock. Put the sausages on top of it all and put the cover back on. Put the pot back into the oven and roast for another 20 minutes.

It's done! Cut the sausages in pieces and spoon the whole thing into big soup bowls. Serve with various mustards.

Buon appetito!

The Payoff

Cabbage, as mentioned above, boosts DNA repair in cells. For this reason it is thought to minimize the risks of cancer. It is also a good source of Vitamin C (for colds and flu), Vitamin K (good strong blood), and fiber (general body function). Very sexy too.

Braised cabbage with sausages and roasted potatoes is gluten-free.