Creamed Cabbage

I get it.  Not everyone likes cabbage.  It kind of smells weird, and it sometimes squeaks when you chew it.  And some will say that it can give you unpleasant side effects, which also may smell weird.  I had a friend once laugh that there was a plant called "skunk cabbage", because, as he put it, "All cabbage stinks!".  But I love a good underdog, and I'm going to tell you that cabbage can be more than a stinky side dish.  When you give it a bit of toasting and then boil it with some cream, it goes from cringe-worthy to crave-worthy.

Take a half head of cabbage (a whole cabbage if it's small) and remove the outer leaves.  Then trim down the stem.  You want to keep a good amount of the stem, because that's what's going to hold each piece together.  Cut the cabbage into wedges from the stem, making each wedge about 2-3 inches at the thickest part, keeping the stem as part of each wedge to keep it together.  You want about 5-6 wedges total.

Melt some butter in a large pan, then arrange the wedges in a single layer, flat on their sides.  Cook without touching them for 5 minutes on one side, until they are browned on the edges.

Carefully flip them over and cook for 5 more minutes on the other side.  Then sprinkle them with a little salt and cover them with a cup of cream.  Bring it to a simmer, then cover and cook 20 minutes at a low simmer.

After 20 minutes, carefully flip each wedge with a spatula or tongs.  Cover and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes.

Squeeze the juice of a lemon over the cream, and give the pan a good shake to combine the liquid, then simmer it, uncovered, for another 5-7 minutes, until the sauce cooks down a bit.

Serve the cabbage wedges with a sprinkling of kosher salt.

This dish makes cabbage almost elegant; a rich, creamy dish with a nutty overtone and a slight tinge of lemon to brighten it up.  Get ready to be enchanted.

Enchanted by cabbage.  Good luck explaining that one.