12428 Cabbage Cake with Sausage Makes a 10-inch cake; Serves 6 Wed Aug 06 01:07:20 -0700 2008 Tue Feb 03 12:41:42 -0800 2009 Licensed http://www.chow.com/recipes/12428 Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:41:42 GMT This recipe is from a catalan cookbook—it's made with white butifarra sausage, composed of lean pork and fat pork belly, and flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, marjoram, and cayenne. Toulouse sausage seasoned with the same aromatics substitutes well, and so does fresh sausage from the butcher. Double blanching makes the cabbage lighter and easier to digest. The cake is perfectly cooked when the outside is crusty and the inside soft, like a puree. Serve with thinly sliced country rye or whole wheat bread.

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  • Discard the tough outer leaves of the cabbage. Quarter the cabbage and cut out the inner core. Bring plenty of water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the cabbage, return the water to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes; drain.
  • Bring fresh water to a boil in the saucepan. Add the cabbage, bay leaf, and salt. Cook for 10 minutes, then drain. Rinse the cabbage under cold running water and drain again. Squeeze to remove as much excess water as possible. Chop the cabbage coarsely.
  • Heat half the fat in a large skillet over moderately high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cabbage and toss to coat thoroughly. Set aside in the skillet.
  • Prick the sausage with a fork. Combine with ⅓ cup water in a medium saucepan over moderate heat. Cover and steam the sausage for 10 minutes. Drain well and let cool, then cut diagonally into 1⅓-inch slices. (The recipe can be prepared ahead up to this point.)
  • Place the cabbage and pancetta over moderate heat and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage and plenty of freshly ground pepper and mix well. Press into a flat cake that fills the bottom of the skillet. Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes, shaking the pan often to prevent sticking.
  • Lift off the cover, dry the inside, and grease it lightly with some of the reserved fat. Invert the cabbage cake onto the lid and hold for an instant. Meanwhile, add remaining the fat to the pan and raise the heat to medium high. Slide the cake, crisp side up, into the pan and fry, uncovered, until the bottom is crisp and golden, about 10 minutes. Lightly sprinkle with vinegar and serve.
    • ]]>     http://www.chow.com Paula Wolfert 50 Main 3 pounds savoy cabbage

    ]]>     1 imported bay leaf

    ]]>     1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt

    ]]>     ¼ cup homemade rendered lard or clarified butter

    ]]>     ¼ pound thick-sliced pancetta, cut into ½-inch cubes

    ]]>     8 ounces fresh sausage

    ]]>     ½ to 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

    ]]>     Red wine vinegar

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