Cider Braised Cabbage with Cheddar Polenta
I’m headed into a fresh week feeling thankful for a warm home (& that our heater drama seems to be behind us), I’m thankful for a work like that allows us to spend time together, and I’m thankful we still like each other as a result of spending so much time together. CiderCon was this past weekend, and we had a good time. Parts were stressful, and parts involve trying to make a good impression of some big players we don’t get to see very often, but more than anything it was fun to go and have joint take-aways for our business and kind of bond through working together. And it was an environment that made me so proud of my husband. Our working together journey has definitely been a true journey with bumps and stress and pent up frustrations that have lead to tense interactions, but we’ve hit a stride of having fun. It’s not always fun, and we still have work stress, but working through challenges now involves a lot more productive conversations and less freak-outs. And I’m damn proud of that and I’m down proud of how far we // I have come in working effectively together.
Pre CiderCon, we had one cozy dinner at-home and I circled back to a dinner that I’ve really enjoyed in the past - Cider Braised Cabbage with Cheddar Polenta. The whole time I was making this, my little joke to myself was “cooking cabbage like a good little Irish girl.” I feel like cabbage, particularly a braised cabbage, is one of those things that’s so St. Paddy’s Day, and this is a perfect Winter cabbage dinner to have anytime. It just showcases how delicious cooked cabbage. Especially as a vegetarian main - it’s so good! And then there was the whole cooking with cider bit. How appropriate for us. All together it’s a meal that’s all bold + savory flavors and cozy vibes.
It starts with a tomato + cider broth
Think broth-y + hearty “soup” meets polenta - that’s what you get here. A tomato + leek mixture that cooks in a cider broth and becomes super savory. The cider has just a slight apple undertone that seems to pair so nicely with that tomato-y sweetness. This cider based broth becomes the braising liquid for the cabbage, and the cabbage takes on the flavor of the broth.
The key - deglaze the pan with the cider, and let the cider + cider vinegar reduce by half before adding the broth. I feel like that just helps get all the apple cider flavor embedded in the dish, and the bite of the vinegar + sweetness of the apple cooked off before beefing up the sauce with the stock.
A main dish where tender cabbage is the star?
My biggest take-away: cabbage is a really delicious vegetarian main. It’s tender, has texture, and just tastes really nice. Browning it before braising adds a char + gives that distinct “roast” flavor. It pairs well with sauce + diced up veggies, and a little bite of polenta on each forkful. And in our home kitchen where cauliflower steaks and portobello mushrooms are king when it comes to a vegetarian main, a beefed up cabbage dish was a welcome change.
A new twist on polenta
I did get experiment-y with the polenta, and added some cheddar instead of the my usual parmesan. I don’t know - the leeks and cabbage were giving Irish vibes so a good ol’ cheddar just seemed right. It was quite tasty & didn’t impart an overwhelming, sharp cheesy flavor. The polenta is still buttery and creamy and just everything you want polenta to be, but if has just a little something different.
Admittedly, a cabbage forward dish sounds a little wild, and also a little lack luster and kind of bland at the same time, but this is one of my favorite meals I’ve played with at home. It’s so delightful! The sauce, the bed of polenta, the cheese factor - it all just works. And piled with veggies. I’m obsessed. We had leftovers waiting for us in the fridge as we returned from our weekend away, and we were pretty excited to devour them this evening for an easy Sunday dinner. Fun + tasty + my kind of cabbage showcase.
For the cabbage bake
3 tbsp. EVOO
1 head of cabbage, quartered with the core in tact
2 tbsp butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red onion, diced
1 leek, halved + sliced
2 tbsp tomato paste
salt + pepper
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1 c. hard cider
1 c. broth
1 can of fire roasted tomatoes
1 tbsp agave or honey
dried polenta
1 c. shredded cheddar
fresh parsley + red pepper to garnish
Preheat the oven to 350.
Place a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add in the EVOO. When hot, add in the chunks of cabbage. Cook for 5 minutes, then rotate the edges and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the cabbage and let it sit on a platter.
Add the butter to the same pan the cabbage was browned in. Once melted, add in the onion + leeks, cooking for about 10 minutes so they’re tender. Add in the tomato pasta and a pinch of salt pepper. Cook another 2 minutes. Add in the apple cider vinegar, hard cider, and broth. Bring to a boil and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Add in the tomatoes + agave, and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Nestle the cabbage back into the tomato + leek mixture, and transfer the pot to the oven, keeping the pot uncovered. Bake for 45 minutes.
Move to making the polenta to package instructions. At the very last step, stir in the cheese a sprinkle at a time.
To serve, scoop a bit of the polenta into a bowl. Place a large chunk of cabbage on tap + ladle a bit of the tomato + leek mixture on top. Garnish with some fresh parsley and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
