Sauteed cabbage

This is one of those things I have had since I was a kid. My youngest sister doesn't remember having it so I am posting how I did it. We grew up calling it broiled cabbage and I have also heard it called fried cabbage. Sauteed is probably the most correct term however caramelized could also be used. I have served this to many folks that did not like cabbage and they liked it. I use 1 stick of butter per head of cabbage (adjusting up or down to keep the ratio the same) starting with about 1/2 of it and and adding the other half near the end. Basically what you are doing is cooking the moisture out of the cabbage and replacing it with butter. I cook it on medium low as any attempts I have made to hurry the process along has always left me with a combination of burnt and undercooked pieces. Average cooking time is an hour or so. And this is not a dish you can walk away from for very long.

I am starting here with half of a large head of cabbage, coarsely chopped.



Here it is after 10 minutes in the microwave which saves a good hour over the original cooking time.



And this is how much of the wok it fills at this point. Choice of cooking vessel really makes no difference, my dad used an electric skillet and I have used various pots and pans depending on how much I am cooking. It should be noted here that 1/4 head of cabbage yields one small serving.



Here it is cooked in the wok.



And back in the original serving bowl.



And the two small servings I referenced earlier.



There are a few variations to this. You can add a diced onion. You can replace the butter with bacon grease. You can cook small pieces of bacon in the pan (I would probably use 1/2lb for a whole head) and leave the bacon bits and grease in the pan to cook the cabbage with. I have also done this same dish with Brussels sprouts both with butter and with bacon. I prefer the cabbage. If your diet doesn't allow for butter or pork fat it can be cooked with margarine without too much loss in flavor.