Uncured Ham and Sauteed ("Browned") Cabbage

Now you see why they call it browned cabbage.  The honey and the butter caramelize and make some tantalizing goodness.

About eight years ago I was 32 years old with a one and a half year old baby boy.  My husband and I had just moved back to Bellingham two years earlier and well with our young babe we spent a lot of nights in.  It was then that we started watching this cooking show on PBS called New Scandinavian Cooking.  Over the years the show has changed hosts but the shows concept has remained the same.  Professional chefs that cook outside using local ingredients from various Scandinavian locations.  For the shows purposes this means Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland.  Here's a link to the website for the show that exists today.  After watching several shows Matt and I noticed that the ingredients used in these Nordic environments are incredibly similar to ours here in Bellingham. Aside from the alcoholic beverage, aquavit, most of them are also available from local vendors and distributors.
I printed out a recipe for Sautéed Cabbage (aka browned cabbage) by Tina Nordstrom from the show eons ago, and we still use it today.  This side dish is really sweet and is almost like a dessert.  It also goes especially nicely with a salty ham.  It's a really nice salty/sweet pairing.  I bought a Beeler's Ham from the Community Food Co-Op last week and we are having it tonight with the cabbage. 

I searched and searched for the link to Tina's cabbage recipe and had no luck finding it so I decided to write up a post and share it with you. 

Sautéed/Browned Cabbage
by Tina Nordstrom
Episode:  Christmas Buffet

Ingredients:

• 1 head green cabbage
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 cinnamon sticks (Go to Mediterranean Specialties for the best ones)
• 1/4 cup honey (I still have some local stuff leftover from Joe's Gardens)
• butter for frying
• salt and pepper

Process:
Slice the cabbage thinly and sauté over medium heat together with the onion for a couple of minutes.  Mix in the apple juice, balsamic vinegar, cinnamon sticks, and honey.  Cover and let simmer until the cabbage softens.  This will take about 15 minutes.

Remove the lid and season with salt and pepper.

Don't forget to go to Seifert and Jones and have them help you find a good wine to pair with this.  They will never fail you.

Some of the essential pantry ingredients.  By the way, the cultured butter is critical for the lactose intolerant. 

The cabbage here is almost done.  It needs about 5 more minutes of cooking time to brown up.