I put together this simple cabbage recipe to use as a side for some rather blah leftovers and it was a big hit. My nearly three-year-old, Elena, who has fallen off the veggie bandwagon lately, even asked for thirds of this one. It has a tasty sweetness with enough savory flavors to make it taste complex and keep you going back for more, while still being simple to prepare. We ate the cabbage with buttered noodles last night (and a quinoa dish that was not such a hit–I will spare you that recipe), and we’re having the rest with sausage tonight. There is enough flavor here that the rest of the meal can be very plain–any roasted meat with salt and pepper would be perfect.
Time from start to dinner: 1 hour 30 minutes (20 minutes active time)
Serves: 6-8 as a side
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
2 cups onion, chopped
2 drops liquid smoke
1 medium head green cabbage
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
3 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tsp caraway seed
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Heat oil and butter in a large pot (8 quarts or so) over medium-low heat. Add onions and liquid smoke and saute until soft, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, quarter, core, and thinly slice the cabbage. Then rinse it with water, letting water droplets remain. When the onions are soft, add cabbage and all remaining ingredients to the pot, and stir thoroughly.
Continue cooking over medium-low heat until cabbage is soft, about an hour and fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally.
Savorra Tips
-Super Time-Saving Tip: Many braised cabbage recipes call for frying bacon, but I like to keep things simple and just drop in a dash of liquid smoke instead. Find a bottle near the worcestershire sauce at the grocery and use it for years. Just a drop or two will add a really nice flavor any time you want smokiness without bacon or sausage. Despite the strange sounding name, it is all natural.
-I like the extra molasses flavor of dark brown sugar in this recipe, though light brown sugar would also be fine. Other recipes also call for red wine vinegar instead of white wine vinegar. Go ahead: substitute, use what you have, get crazy!! 
