Cabbage is a very popular food in the South of the United States, served both as a side dish and as a main course. In this traditional recipe, the cabbage is cooked in broth along with meat, onions and chilli. The result is a rustic, rich and intensely flavored dish that should be served with a spicy sauce and can be paired with other typical dishes of the Southern United States cuisine.
Ingrediants
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of seed oil
- 1 small white onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 700 ml of chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- 1 roast turkey leg
- 900 g of cabbage
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 pinch of pepper
- Hot sauce (optional)
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Prepare the Broth
Step 1. Chop the garlic and onion
Cut the onion into cubes using a sharp kitchen knife, then peel and finely chop 3 cloves of garlic with a small pointed knife. Keep the two ingredients separate.
Step 2. Heat the oil
Place a medium-sized saucepan on the stove and heat it over medium heat. When hot, add a tablespoon of seed oil and swirl the pot to distribute the oil across the bottom.
Step 3. Fry the onion and garlic
When the oil is hot, pour the diced onion into the saucepan. Stir it with a large spoon until it is wilted and lightly browned. At that point, add the garlic and mix to combine it with the onion. Let the garlic fry until it releases its scent.
Step 4. Add the chicken stock, chili flakes and turkey leg
After letting the chopped garlic and onion sauté, add the chicken broth. Stir to distribute the two ingredients in the broth, then add the chili flakes and roasted turkey leg.
You can buy a pre-cooked turkey leg or roast the whole bird in the oven and use a leg of it to make this dish
Step 5. Bring the broth to a boil
After adding the listed ingredients, bring the broth to a boil. When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, put the lid on the pot, and let the ingredients simmer for about 25 minutes.
Part 2 of 3: Cutting the Turkey Leg
Step 1. Remove the turkey leg from the broth
After letting it simmer for about 25 minutes, remove the turkey leg from the pot using kitchen tongs or a slotted spoon. Reduce the heat to low and allow the broth to simmer slowly as you cut the meat.
Step 2. Peel the meat off the bone
After removing the turkey leg from the broth, let it cool until you can touch it without burning yourself. Peel the meat off the bone by breaking it into pieces using your hands or a knife.
Step 3. Chop the turkey meat
After removing it from the bone, cut it into 1 cm cubes using the kitchen knife. At this point, put the meat back into the pot.
Step 4. Let the minced meat simmer in the broth for 10 minutes
After putting it back in the pot, let it simmer for about ten minutes, so that it releases all its flavor into the broth.
The skin may peel off the meat as you cut it into cubes. If so, put it back in the pot along with the pulp
Part 3 of 3: Prepare and Cook the Cabbage
Step 1. Wash and cut the cabbage leaves
While the broth simmers, you can start preparing the star ingredient of the recipe. Wash the cabbage leaves and remove the large center grain with the knife. Cut the leaves into strips about 3 cm wide and 6 cm long using a large kitchen knife.
Step 2. Cook the cabbage
After washing and cutting the leaves, put them in the pot. Push them towards the bottom with the help of a spoon so that they are submerged by the broth, to obtain an even cooking.
Step 3. Cover the pot when the cabbage begins to wilt
Let it cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the leaves begin to wilt, put the lid on the pot.
Step 4. Let the cabbage cook for up to an hour, stirring occasionally
Continue cooking with the covered pot. Stir the cabbage every 10 minutes and then immediately replace the lid. The leaves will gradually wither and lose volume, and they will also become slightly darker.
During cooking, the cabbage will absorb the broth
Step 5. Remove the pot from the heat after one hour of cooking
After about 45-60 minutes, the cabbage should be cooked and you can transfer it to a bowl or serving dish.
- Some people prefer the cabbage to remain slightly crunchy, while others choose to let it cook for a long time, it is a matter of personal taste. Taste it and turn off the stove when you are satisfied with the taste and texture.
- Season the cabbage with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 6. Add a few drops of hot sauce
The traditional recipe calls for a few drops of hot sauce to be used as a garnish for the dish. If you love intense flavors, you can add it to taste. If you want, you can mix to make sure that each bite is spicy at the right point.
If the cabbage looks good even without a sauce, you can avoid adding it
Step 7. Serve the cabbage immediately
This is a dish that should be eaten hot. Taste the cabbage to see if you need to add more salt or pepper. Serve hot, preferably accompanied by bread, dumplings or corn porridge and fried chicken, as expected from traditional Southern US cuisine.
Advice
- Taste the cabbage often as it cooks until it reaches the desired consistency.
- You can also add some crunchy bacon to make the dish even tastier.
