Moulin Rouge Cabbage Recipe

The French know how to make even the humblest ingredients taste superb. In this case, the lowly cabbage gets the French treatment with apples and shallots, a simple way to turn cabbage into a cancer-preventing dish fit for a king.

This dish is so tasty it appeals even to confirmed cabbage-haters like my son (a crafty way to get some cruciferous nourishment into him), and it’s so easy that his mother even enjoys making it. We like Moulin Rouge Cabbage as a hot and piquant salad, but it’s pretty enough for a company side dish, too.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large shallots, minced
2 to 3 pounds assorted cabbages, cored and shredded (we like to use a combination of green cabbage, red cabbage, and Savoy, but you can use bok choy or Chinese cabbage, or even Brussels sprouts, if you like. Anything in the cabbage family will do)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tart green apples (Granny Smiths are good),halved, cored, and cut into thin slices
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
salt and freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 cup Italian parsley leaves

1. Warm the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until softened, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir in the shredded cabbages and thyme, cover partially with a lid, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbages being to soften, about 10 minutes.

2. Add apples and vinegar, stirring to combine. Continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes, until apples are warm. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in parsley leaves and serve immediately.

Serves 6.