A whole head of cabbage smothered with andouille
Cabbage cooked low under a lid until it turns sweet and buttery, browned andouille stirred back through and a splash of vinegar at the end to sharpen the whole pot.
At a Glance
Story
The acid goes in at the very end, and the timing is the point. Cabbage softens because heat breaks down the pectin holding its cell walls together, and acid slows that breakdown, so vinegar in the pot from the start would make the cabbage slower to soften. Added once the cabbage is soft, the same splash cuts through the butter and the sausage fat, and the sweetness the long cook built up finally has something to push against.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 12 oz andouille sausagethinly sliced into coins
- 1 yellow oniondiced
- 4 garlic clovesminced
- 1 medium green cabbagecored and cut into 1½-inch pieces (about 2½ lb)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp Creole seasoningstore-bought or homemade; it is salty, so taste before salting again
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tsp cider vinegar or Louisiana hot sauceplus more to taste
- 2 tbsp parsleychopped
- saltpepper
- steamed ricefor serving
Method
Smothering is a Southern habit usually spent on tough cuts of meat. A lid, low heat, a little liquid and a long time do the work. Cabbage under the same treatment shrinks by half, sweetens and goes soft enough to eat with a spoon, and the stock and the pan juices turn into something close to gravy. Serve it over rice so none of that goes to waste.
- Heat the oil over medium in your heaviest pot, ideally an enameled Dutch oven. Add the sausage and cook until browned, 7 to 9 minutes. Andouille is usually sold smoked and already cooked, so this is about color, not cooking it through. Lift it onto a plate.
- Add the onion and garlic to the same pot and cook until lightly golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper.
- Add the cabbage in batches, letting each one wilt before adding more, and keep stirring. It will shrink by almost half, which is the only way a whole head fits. Sprinkle in the smoked paprika and Creole seasoning and stir to coat.
- Pour in the stock, bring it to a simmer and cover. Cook at a low simmer for 40 to 45 minutes, stirring now and then, until the cabbage is very tender and almost buttery.
- For the last 2 minutes, stir in the butter and the sausage to warm through. Take the pot off the heat.
- Stir in 2 tsp of vinegar or hot sauce, taste and add more until the pot tastes bright as well as rich. Season, scatter with parsley and serve over rice.
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