Tangy Braised Cabbage with Pears

Tangy Braised Cabbage with PearsHere is a great side dish for winter dinner menus. If it has never occurred to you to use cabbage for anything other than coleslaw, give this recipe a try. The cabbage becomes wonderfully tender as it cooks, and the tanginess from the balsamic vinegar alongside the sweetness of the pears is really a thing to behold. This dish is excellent alongside a whole roasted chicken or with Braised Pork with Pears and Sherry Vinegar.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium sweet onion, halved, peeled, and cut into thin half-rings
1 medium head red cabbage, cored and cut into approximately 2 inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 bay leaf
2 firm ripe USA Pears, such as Bosc or Anjou

Directions
Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once foamy, add the onions and sauté until just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add all of the cabbage to the pot and season generously with salt and pepper. Sauté the cabbage, stirring often, until softened and glossy, about 5 minutes more. Add the wine and continue to cook until it has mostly evaporated, again, about 5 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and the bay leaf, stir, and cover the cabbage, reducing the heat to low. Cook the cabbage for 45 minutes, setting a timer to remind you to stir it every 15 minutes. After 45 minutes, cut the pears into a medium dice and add them to the pot. Stir and cover, cooking 15 minutes more. Check the seasoning of the dish, adding salt, pepper, or a little more vinegar if necessary. Serve the cabbage hot.

prep time: 10 minutes plus one hour cooking
yield: 4 servings

About Hilary

I'm a personal chef and recipe writer here as well as at tummyrumblr.com. I grew up in Oregon where I ran, hiked, looked out over great distances, and fell in love with all of the beautiful produce this great state has to offer. I've worked as a caterer, a farmer, a pizza tosser, a line cook, a dishwasher, and a cooking school instructor. I'm thrilled to be writing for USA Pears because it gives me the opportunity to learn much more about all of the different and distinct pear varieties that are grown here in my favorite part of the world.

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