Did you have a Cabbage Patch Kid?
I did. I’m pretty sure my mom had to stand in a long line in the early morning somewhere in order to get it. Some kids were obsessed with those dolls, but I don’t even remember the name of mine. (Mike just reminded me, “Yeah, they were born with names,” like, no duhhh. His doll was named “Jock Cassius.” That’s right, a baby named “Jock.”)
Personally, I prefered Madame Alexander dolls — which looked more like real babies than Cabbage Patch Kids did — and I would not mix Madame Alexander with Cabbage Patch in order to play house.
My rule was, if you were playing house, all the dolls needed to be the same kind. Otherwise, any sense of realism was totally derailed. I took my pretending seriously.
And I take this braised red cabbage very seriously. Ever since I made braised cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day, I’ve been a little obsessed, much like a child in 1984 with a Cabbage Patch Kid. Mike roasted a chicken on Sunday night, and I greedily scooped up the pan juices as though I’d found a pot of gold and saved them in order to make braised cabbage the following night.
If you don’t have pan juices on hand, you can still make this braised cabbage, using vinegar for the liquid.
This braised red cabbage was fantastic and you should try it. My own little Cabbage Patch Kid and I are serious.
BRAISED RED CABBAGE (pdf)
Adapted from the Joy of Cooking
- 1 head red cabbage, quartered, cored, and cut into thin, crosswise slices
- 3 T butter
- 3 T finely chopped onion
- 1 apple, peeled, cored, and cut into matchsticks
- 1/2 C pan juices OR 3 T red wine vinegar + 2 T honey
- Salt & pepper to taste
Immerse cabbage in a bowl of cold water. (I don’t know the exact reason for this step, but I will tell you that when I poured out the water after soaking the cabbage in it, it was SMURF BLUE.)
Meanwhile, melt butter in a heavy braising pan, skillet, or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add onion and saute until golden. Lift the cabbage from the water and add it to the pan along with the apples. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add liquid (either the pan juices or vinegar + honey). Salt & pepper to taste. Cover the pan and cook over medium-low heat until the cabbage is very soft, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, adding more pan juices or boiling water if needed during cooking.
xoxo,
P.S. Don’t forget to vote for Dad or Alive!
