Purple on the Side [Fierce Foodie]

Warmer weather makes us lazy as a species. Unfortunately, ice cream for dinner every night will lead to a myriad of problems, such as running out of pants that fit. Thankfully there are some easy and relatively healthy recipes that require no attention to the stove.

Someone once told me, “You don’t have to cook cabbage, it cooks itself.” All cabbage on the stove asks is that you add liquid and leave it alone. With a little apple, onion and chicken broth, a beautiful and tasty head of purple cabbage cooks itself into a delightful side dish which is even better cold the next day. This is a bonus because a head of cabbage is not easy to finish in one sitting, no matter how good. This purple cabbage recipe goes very well with another lazy dish: oven cooked pulled pork.

The making of this version of pulled pork is less complicated than following the directions on boxed macaroni and cheese. You cut up pork shoulder into large chunks, cutting off as much fat as possible, and put it in an oven safe dish with a whole bottle of your favorite barbeque sauce. I have used Baby Ray’s successfully. Cover with foil and stick in the oven at 250 degrees and completely forget about it for 5 hours. Your nose will remind you.

After the slow cooking, the pork will be fork tender and easy to shred. Add a squirt of ketchup if it needs a little tang. Eat this pulled pork with the following purple cabbage recipe, and potato salad if you can get a hold of it. Cole slaw, cornbread and lemonade are other good ideas. Find someone else to take care of the dishes.

Purple Cabbage and Apples

I head purple cabbage, chopped coarsely

2 small apples, diced, you can leave the skin on

1 onion, diced

1 pat of sweet butter

1 can low sodium chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

Throw the onions and apples into a pot with a little bit of butter.  Let it cook until the onion is translucent and the apple is beginning to soften.  Add cabbage and broth.  Put lid on pot and lower heat to low.  Leave it alone for an hour and then come back to season and eat.  This dish is even better the second day cold out of the fridge.

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featured image credit: Jamie Anderson