Braised Cabbage with Sausages (Skillet)

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you braise cabbage with sausages in a skillet? Gather all your ingredients. Choose crisp, fresh cabbage that isn't wilted — it should be bright green or white, free of heavy bruising, with firm, juicy leaves. You can swap the tomato paste for ketchup. Beyond the ingredients listed, you can also add one finely chopped onion.

2. Step 2:

   

   Use whatever sausages you like, but keep in mind they set the flavor of the whole dish. Smoky sausages, for instance, will give the cabbage a light smoky note. For a more neutral taste, go with plain sausages like breakfast or wiener-style. Peel off any casing and slice them into fairly thick rounds.

3. Step 3:

   

   Wash the cabbage, cut out the core, and shred it thinly, avoiding the tough leaf ribs near the core.

4. Step 4:

   

   Peel the carrots and grate them on the large holes of a box grater.

5. Step 5:

   

   Heat the vegetable oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed skillet. Add the grated carrots and cook over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. If you're adding chopped onion, put it in along with the carrots.

6. Step 6:

   

   Add the cabbage and toss thoroughly with the carrots. It'll look like a lot at first, but as it braises the moisture cooks off and the cabbage shrinks down considerably. If it won't all fit in the pan at once, add it in batches, stirring in more as each addition wilts down.

7. Step 7:

   

   Braise the cabbage and carrots over low heat, covered, for about 15 minutes.

8. Step 8:

   

   Pour in a cup of boiling water and continue braising, covered, until the cabbage is tender, about 30 minutes more. Young cabbage will need a bit less time; tougher cabbage, a bit more — so check on it now and then.

9. Step 9:

   

   Stir in the tomato paste, bay leaf, and allspice. Mix and let simmer over low heat for about 7 minutes.

10. Step 10:

    

    Add the sliced sausages to the cabbage and stir. Simmer everything together for about 5 more minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. It's best to season at the end, since the tomato paste and sausages may already provide enough. A lot depends on how salty they are.

11. Step 11:

    

    Take the finished cabbage off the heat and let it rest, covered, for about 10 minutes. Enjoy!