Instructions

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.

While the water heats, discard any wilted or damaged outer cabbage leaves. Quarter the cabbage, discarding core, or save it for another dish. My cabbage kind of fell apart, so do the best you can.

Once the water reaches rolling boil, lower the cabbage pieces in and cook five minutes. (A spider or similar tool is helpful here.)

Remove cabbage, drain in colander.

If you live in drought territory, toss your cabbage water outside.

Bring a fresh pot of water to boil, adding bay leaf and coarse salt. Add cabbage and cook ten minutes. Drain.

Drain cabbage under cold water. Squeeze dry thoroughly. I did this with clean dishtowels, rolling the cabbage up tightly.

Once the cabbage is dry and cool enough to handle, chop it.

Place a large, ovenproof heavy skillet over medium high heat. Melt about one tablespoon each butter and tablespoon olive oil together. (you may need more, depends on pan size) Lower heat if pancetta begins burning, the fats are burning, or they’re splattering. Add the pancetta and garlic, if using, and cook, stirring, until pancetta is browned, about three minutes. Add the cabbage, stirring to coat. Turn the burner off and set the pan aside.

Now you’re going to steam the sausages. If you have a steamer, great. If not, set a large, deep pan, like a wok, on your largest stove burner. If you have a steamer trivet, use it. If not, juryrig one by opening both ends of a tuna fish can, or by rolling tinfoil into balls large enough to support a bowl. You want a bowl large enough to hold your sausages.

If all of this is too much of a hassle, just make the sausages the regular way. Who will know?

Be sure to prick each sausage with a knife or fork. No matter how you cook them, you don’t want them to explode.

Preheat your oven to 200F/95C.

Allow the sausages to cool enough to handle, then slice into coins.

If any liquid has collected in your sausage steaming bowl, tip that into the cabbage pan.

Add the sausage coins into your pan of cabbage and pancetta, stirring to mix. Taste for salt and pepper. It’s unlikely you’ll need salt. If the pan looks dry, add a bit more butter.

Slide the pan into the oven and bake. This is a good-natured dish and will sit in a low oven from 90 minutes to two hours. If you want to speed things up, increase the oven heat to 300-325F/150-200C and check for doneness after one hour.

Paula Wolftert suggests serving cabbage cake with thinly sliced country rye or whole wheat bread; I had neither, but did have a nice country loaf, which was delicious.

Deconstructed Cabbage Cake will keep, refrigerated, up to five days. Do not freeze it.

Notes:

Wolfert’s recipe called for Savoy cabbage; I had a green one–the plain, smooth sort, so that’s what I used.

As noted in the blog, I did not have access to Butifarra sausage, so bought Fra’Mani Herb Sausage, and was very happy with it.

The original recipe calls for coarse Kosher salt. My kosher salt is fine, so I used Maldon salt, which is coarse. My advice is to use what you have–you’re blanching a cabbage, not finishing a dish.

Again, cabbage has a bad rap–do try this. It’s inexpensive, filling, and truly delicious. Don’t be put off by the double blanching or the brown appearance. This is a dish that defies appearances.