Cabbage and Potatoes

When I was younger, we probably ate cabbage once or twice a year. It was one of my favorite vegetables, but we really only ate it on St. Patty's Day. My grandmother or mother would boil the cabbage in the water left over from cooking the corned beef, so the beefy taste would permeate the cabbage. I tried making cabbage myself a few times, but was unsuccessful, because I didn't realize how vital the meat flavor was to the cooking process. When I just boiled it in salted water, it tasted extremely bland.

Then, I moved into a house with a couple of room mates. They used to use either salt pork or fat back in their cabbage (I had never used either in any of my cooking). They showed me the trick to making delicious cabbage. Now, I cook cabbage ALL THE TIME, and boil a kielbasa to go with it. It has turned out to be one of my favorite meals!

Of course, on March 17 I abandon this method and boil my cabbage right in the same water I cooked my corned beef in!

1 Tsp olive oil
½ green bell pepper, diced
2 oz salt pork, diced
1 head cabbage, shredded
½ tsp. black pepper
3 potatoes, sliced

Heat olive oil in deep pot. Add green bell pepper and salt pork, saute 5 minutes. Add cabbage to pot, lower heat, cover and cook 20 minutes. Add enough water to cover the cabbage, and black pepper. Simmer 45 minutes, Add potatoes, simmer 20 additional minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender,