A SILK PURSE FOR SUPPER

It's so much fun to discover 'something' in a bunch of 'nothing,' isn't it?  Like,  those people you see on tv who've bought a beat up old picture at a garage sale - only to find some priceless masterpiece hidden beneath it.  Of course, stuff like that never happens to ME, so I have to create my own little "tadaaa" moments for myself.  I still find it amusing, but then, I'm easily amused.  Just ask my husband and my kids.

Anywho, our story today starts with a gift.  You like it already?  My sweet Canadian-Chinese(-French?) neighbor went to the Irish-Italian parade (yes, they indeed NEVER end) and brought me back 5 heads of cabbage.  Now, despite the fact that giving cabbage to an Irishwoman is a little like bringing sand to the beach, I was thrilled.

I immediately went to work, peeling away the 'funky' outer layers of the cabbages and then coring, slicing, and washing them thoroughly.  I wound up with a mountain 'o cabbage - as you can see....

But I'm getting ahead of myself here.  You see, when I was growing up, if you ate cabbage, it was one of two ways:  boiled with ham or smothered in bacon fat.  If it was boiled with ham, you'd get a huge pot of basically cabbage soup:  cabbage, ham chunks, potato chunks, maybe carrots and you'd sop up the juices with loaf after loaf of buttered french bread.  But, down here in New Orleans, it's grilling season - when the evenings are mild and the mosquitoes are still wintering somewhere like Cuba.  So, tonight, it's Smothered Cabbage in Bacon Fat as a side dish to some grilled pork fingers.  Oh yeah....

Looka dat bacon!  Some food is just sexy - makes me wanna crank up the Barry White while I'm cooking.  And the way it "sizzles" sounds like the symbol in a burlesque act.  Well, this is where our dish begins.

SMOTHERED CABBAGE IN BACON FAT
5 heads of cabbage
1 sliced onion
1 lb of bacon
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp of your favorite seasoning blend
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cider vinegar
water - as needed
Core, slice and wash your cabbage and allow it to drain. Meanwhile, in a large, deep pan, fry your bacon to crisp (yeah, baby), reserving all the gorgeous fat in the bottom of the pan.  Save the bacon for later (unless you live at my house, then HIDE IT IMMEDIATELY or it will disappear).  Add the olive oil to the bacon fat over medium heat.  Now add the onion and stir a bit.  Let the onion wilt.  Now add the cabbage.  You may have to do this in steps.  Trust me, a mountain of cabbage cooks down to less than half its original bulk.  Now, you'll want to let this cook, covered, to start it wilting.  Check every 10-15 minutes and 'turn' the whole thing carefully - with two utensils - like tossing a salad.  This process will take a while but it's worth it!  This ain't fast food, y'all! 

When the cabbage has 'softened' you can continue to cook it uncovered.  You may even crank up the heat to medium-high at this point and check it more often.  You want it to start to caramelize and, remember, the more brown it gets, the sweeter it is - like dark friend onion rings, you know?  YUM!!!  At this point, you can add the brown sugar and cider vinegar - you always want balance:  sweet & sour & salt together.  That's the stuff that dreams are made of!

I served mine with lovely grilled pork and sweet potato fries that I flash-fried in some more bacon fat till they were crispy brown on the outside.  YOWZA!  That sweet and spicy cabbage with that salty pork and starchy sweet potatoes...light the candles and dust off that Donna Summer album.  On second thought, maybe you shouldn't strike a match....just sayin'.

So, you see, sometimes greatness comes from the most humble beginnings.  And, if you can get past the fact that frying cabbage smells something like "Bean Night" at the Fraternity House, you will be thrilled with the final result.  Go ahead, open the window and make a 'silk purse' to go with your pork too!

Questions?  Comments?  Please email me at aintjuliachild@gmail.com.  And please share my address with your friends:  http://www.thisaintjuliachild.com/. 
Please pray for our troops, the people of Japan & Haiti and for peace in the Middle East.