Braised Savoy Cabbage with Cinnamon and Orange

After receiving our third head of cabbage in our Wednesday "Farm Fresh to You" shipment, we knew that Thursday's meal needed to incorporate a large amount of cabbage in one form or another. With the new Le Creuset - we've been in a bit of a braising kick, so when I came across the following recipe, I knew instantly that I wanted to make it. We didn't have any cheap white wine at the apartment and not wanting to drink a nice bottle of wine that night, Derek tweaked the recipe to accommodate ingredients we did have on hand. Below is the original recipe with our tweaks pointed out.

Braised Savoy Cabbage with Cinnamon and Orange

INGREDIENTS

• One 2 1/2-pound Savoy cabbage, halved and cored, leaves separated and cut into strips
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup Chardonnay (REVISION: 3/4 cup pale ale, 1.5 tsp honey, 1/2 orange, juiced)
• 2 cups beef stock or low-sodium broth (REVISION: chicken stock)
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• Large pinch of cinnamon (REVISION: 2 pinches)

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the cabbage leaves and blanch for 1 minute. Drain and cut into thin shreds. (We omitted this step)
2. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, melt the butter in the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook over low heat until softened, about 7 minutes.
3. Add the cabbage and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring a few times.
4. Add the wine and simmer until almost evaporated. Add the stock, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender, 40 minutes.
5. Stir in the orange zest and cinnamon, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Served this recipe with baked sweet potatoes (Derek had regular potato with chili) and some bread - who knew cabbage could be so tasty!