One my all-time favourite suppers is a simple Cabbage and Sausage sautée. Cabbage is one of the most nutritious leafy veggies you can eat. And the sausage supplies all the flavour you need all by itself. But I’ve discovered an updated, enhanced version I’m switching to!
I all but lived on a simpler version of this dish back before I got married. Kielbasa was cheap and cabbage was cheaper. I was a radio reporter on the busy City Hall and Cops beat. The hours were long and indeterminate, and time was always ‘of the essence’.
When I got home after a 12- or 14-hour day, I wanted something substantial but quick. And, of course, it had to be tasty – loaded with umami heartiness. Cabbage and sausage filled the bill beautifully. And on my salary… But that’s another topic for another post. Maybe. Some day…
The new regime…
One big difference in the new recipe I want to ‘sell’ you on today is that it includes a third major ingredient ‘player’ – fat, twisty ‘broad’ egg noodles. It’s the third corner of the basic nutritional tri-angle: We had veg and protein. And now, we’ve got carbs, as well. Forget the recipe’s suggestion for Farfalle (bowtie) pasta. It’s not ‘traditional Polish’ at all. And when you click over to the recipe… You can join me in wide-eyed wonderment as to why the glam photo of the finished dish features wagon wheel pasta, of all things!
As for the flavour… The new formula is subtly but importantly different from the original I loved so much. The official AllRecipes ingredient list calls for cubed ham rather than Polish sausage. Forget that! I’m afraid, it ain’t Polish if it ain’t Kielbasa! The flavour is so mush more complex and just a tad spicy… And the Kielbasa provides all the salt the dish needs.
Another departure…
Another real departure from my old standby is the ‘2 pinches of white sugar, or to taste’ called for. I’ve learned from cabbage pros over the years that most agree a little sugar is indispensable to balance the natural bitter edge on this veggie. You wouldn’t think it would make a noticeable, let alone big difference in the overall flavour profile. But it really does. Something like the addition of a teaspoon of sugar to a big pot of tomato sauce. All Italian mammas do it, to ‘file down’ the acidic edge. And so do all the great Italian chefs!
My take
Follow the recipe as your guide to procedure. I recommend adding a little nutmeg to the dish. It enhances and rounds out the flavour of the sausage beautifully. And nutmeg is a natural flavour buddy of cabbage, too!
Like the updated Hamburger and Noodle casserole we shared with you a while back, this one is a great solution to the ‘what to make when you don’t feel like cooking’ conundrum…
~ Maggie J.