Kielbasa simmered in beer with onions and cabbage

I used to make this dish without the cabbage when I first got a Martha Stewart cookbook. I couldn't find her recipe online attributed to her, but I found this one from cooks.com that is identical. I have amended the recipe below to how I cooked it.

2 T butter

2 T olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cabbage, sliced
2 Kielbasas
2 (12 oz.) bottles beer (I used Rio Grande with green chile)

1. In a large heavy skillet melt the butter and saute the onion over medium heat until translucent.

2. Add the Kielbasa to the pan and brown it 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

3. Add the cabbage on top. 

4. Pour the beer over the top. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until the cabbage is how you like it.

**Cooking it this way in beer makes the dish a bit sweet. Nice for a change although my daughter said the dish tasted 'beer-y'. hmm.

Cabbage Pie

This comes from the Johnson's Backyard Garden blog (an Austin, TX CSA). The person who posted the recipe recommends using escarole, but indicated that it is good with other greens, so I used our napa cabbage and 3 or 4 chard leaves. The original posted indicated that the recipe came from Claire's Corner Copia Cookbook.

1/4 cup olive oil 
6 large cloves of garlic, chopped 
1/4 cup black olives, chopped 
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed 
2 heads of escarole, chopped 
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 
1 teaspoon fennel seeds 
pastry for a 9 inch, 2-crust pie 
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced (I usually use shredded) 

Preheat oven to 375. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, olives, capers. Cook for 5 minutes stirring often. Add the escarole, red pepper flakes and fennel seeds. Cover, reduce heat to low and allow to steam 30 minutes, stirring frequently until the escarole is tender. If it begins to stick, lower the heat. Stir to mix well. Taste for seasoning. Drain in a colander.  

Sprinkle half the mozzarella over the bottom of the pie crust. Put the escarole mixture in the crust, spreading evenly. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the top. Cover with the top pie crust, sealing the edges with the tines of a fork. Cut 3 slits in the crust to allow steam to escape. Bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting into wedges. 

**I used napa cabbage and some chard for the escarole. I also used the ready made spelt pie crusts. And finally, I used a good squirt of the Thai hot sauce instead of the crushed red pepper flakes. The flavors of this dish just didn't do it for me- the saltiness of the capers against the sharpness of the fennel seeds. I won't make this recipe again.

(I have also substituted other greens in it as well though the escarole is my favorite.)

From Claire's Corner Copia Cookbook:

1/4 cup olive oil

6 large cloves of garlic, chopped

1/4 cup black olives, chopped

1 tablespoon capers, rinsed

2 heads of escarole, chopped

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

pastry for a 9 inch, 2-crust pie

8 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced (I usually use shredded)

Preheat oven to 375. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, olives, capers. Cook for 5 minutes stirring often. Add the escarole, red pepper flakes and fennel seeds. Cover, reduce heat to low and allow to steam 30 minutes, stirring frequently until the escarole is tender. If it begins to stick, lower the heat. Stir to mix well. Taste for seasoning. Drain in a colander. 

Sprinkle half the mozzarella over the bottom of the pie crust. Put the escarole mixture in the crust, spreading evenly. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the top. Cover with the top pie crust, sealing the edges with the tines of a fork. Cut 3 slits in the crust to allow steam to escape. Bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting into wedges.

Cabbage Gratin

I've never made this and am looking forward to trying it. It came directly from the Orangette blog. I recognize we did not get Savoy cabbage, I'm hoping the mild flavor of the napa will work.

Savoy Cabbage Gratin
Adapted from All About Braising, by Molly Stevens

A couple of notes about ingredients:

- Good stock, either chicken or vegetable, is key here.

- If you can’t find Saint-Marcellin, use a good triple-cream cheese, such as Delice de Bourgogne, Pierre Robert, or Brillat-Savarin. I used Delice de Bourgogne, and it was wonderful. Just remember not to use the rind: it’s too pungent. Also, don’t be tempted to use Brie. It isn’t quite right here.

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Savoy cabbage (about 1 ½ lb.), quartered, cored, and sliced into ½-inch-wide shreds
1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, sliced into ½-inch-wide pieces
Kosher salt
1 ¾ cups mild chicken or vegetable stock
1 ripe Saint-Marcellin cheese (about 3 oz.), or an equal amount of triple-cream cheese

Set a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a large (roughly 10”x 14”) gratin dish, or another dish of similar size.

Melt the butter in a large (12-inch or bigger) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage and scallions, season generously with salt, and cook, stirring, until the cabbage is nicely wilted and just beginning to brown in spots, about 10 minutes. Add the stock, bring to a steady simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.

Transfer the cabbage, scallions, and all the liquid into the prepared gratin dish. Cover tightly with foil, and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, and continue to bake until the liquid is mostly evaporated, about 20 minutes more. Then remove the dish from the oven. Cut the cheese into small lumps and scatter it over the cabbage. Increase the oven temperature to 375°F, return the dish to the oven, and cook until the cheese is thoroughly melted, about 10 minutes.

Serve hot or warm, as a side dish for almost any meat. I’ll bet it would also be delicious with an egg. Or on its own, as a light meal, with a hunk of bread.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

 Making the gratin

The finished gratin
**So delicious- there were no leftovers. Worked great with the napa cabbage, however I adjusted the time in the oven in half. I added a little too much salt considering  my vege stock was a bit salty- but it paired so nicely with the pork loin (which needed salt). Absolutely a keeper.

Curry Chickpea Potpie

This looked like a great recipe to try. Perfect for this week's harvest basket plus the leftover veges I still have in my fridge! You can find the recipe on Martha Stewart's website.

Serves 6

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup millet
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 8 ounces broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cups shredded green cabbage
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 8 ounces small white potatoes, quartered
• 1/3 cup red lentils
• 1/2 cup canned chickpeas, drained
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Raita

Directions

1. Boil 2 cups of water. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add millet, and sauté until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add another tablespoon butter and the boiling water to millet; return to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, 25 minutes. Transfer millet to a bowl to cool slightly; tent with foil to prevent from drying out. When cooled, stir in eggs, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and parsley.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare an ice-water bath. Add broccoli to boiling water, and blanch for 20 seconds, until bright green. Transfer to ice-water bath to cool. Drain, and set aside.
3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add cabbage; cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and curry; cook 2 minutes. Pour in 2 cups water, and using a wooden spoon, scrape up any brown bits on bottom of pan. Add carrots, potatoes, lentils, and chickpeas, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir in broccoli; season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Place the stew in a 1 1/2-quart ovenproof casserole; cover with millet mixture. Dot millet with remaining tablespoon butter; place on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Serve with raita. 

**I didn't end up making this. I was near the Alpine Sausage Kitchen and got tempted by the Viennese  hot dogs and german mustard. I steamed the rest of the broccoli and cauliflower.
 

Grilled fish sandwich with cabbage slaw

This comes from the magazine, Everyday Food, issue #64, July/August 2009. I've made it before and enjoyed it- although I noted that I did the slaw differently. I will try the recipe this time for the slaw. I just made a fresh loaf of spelt bread that we'll use for the sandwiches.

Serves 4.

• 4 cups shredded green cabbage (from head cabbage)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon caraway seed
• Vegetable oil, for grilling
• 4 striped bass fillets (or other firm-fleshed fish, such as tuna, tilapia, or salmon), 4 to 6 ounces each
• 8 thick slices sandwich bread, such as brioche or country-style white

Directions

1. In a bowl, toss cabbage with 2 teaspoons salt; let stand 20 minutes. Press between layers of paper towels to remove excess liquid. Toss cabbage in a clean bowl with celery, onion, mayonnaise, vinegar, and caraway seed and season with pepper.
2. Heat grill to medium-high. Clean and lightly oil hot grates. Pat fish dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper and brush with oil. Grill fish on one side until opaque at edges, 2 to 4 minutes. Using a thin spatula, flip fish and cook until opaque throughout, 1 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Clean and lightly oil hot grates; grill bread until lightly toasted, 5 to 10 seconds per side. Assemble sandwiches with fish and cabbage slaw. 

**I used sole for the fish and seasoned it with a key lime seasoning mix from Cost Plus World Market. The coleslaw was a bit too salty for my taste, although it paired well with the fish. Nice dish- easy to make.

Keilbasa and Cabbage

This is a family favorite. Takes less than 15 minutes from start to finish.

1-2 kielbasa sausages (can be turkey, beef, pork- your choice)
1 medium cabbage

Slice the sausage into a large pot or dutch oven and saute them till brownish on medium-high heat. (If you use turkey- be careful to stir them or they'll stick).
As it sautes, slice the cabbage into bite size chunks.
When the sausage is brown, add the cabbage and stir together. Put the lid on and stir occasionally. It is ready when the cabbage is a bit wilty but still crunchy.

Adding the cabbage and mixing it up. Then the lid goes on...

After it has cooked down a bit- this is how we like to eat it. You can see that I cut up two kielbasa sausages. I have one daughter who loves it.