People who know me would tell you that it's hard to tell which I like more: gardening or cooking. I'd say it depends on which I'm doing at the moment. Anyway, French cooking and French gardening go hand in hand. For me, cooking is an on-going adventure. Join me here on my culinary explorations, where I share with you both my old favorites as well as new inspirations. It's my fondest wish that these recipes serve as a springboard for your own new creations.
09/15/2010
Autumn claypot of red cabbage, apples, and chestnuts (Marmite automnale de chou rouge, pommes, et marrons) 
Clay pot
Ingredients:
Note before starting: You will need a clay pot with a lid that can go on top of the stove for this dish. You can attempt it in an enameled castiron dutch oven instead, but you will need to add water and the result will not be the same.
For 4 servings:
1/2 of a medium head of red cabbage
1 T. duck fat + 2 T sweet butter (or all butter if no duck fat available)
1 1/4" thick slice of natural slab bacon, cut into cubes (lardons)
1 large onion, pink if available (like some of the Italian varieties) or red, cut in quarters lengthwise and sliced 1/4" thick.
2 small apples, cut in quarters, cored, and sliced 1/2" thick crosswise
About 8 oz. vacuum-packed pre-cooked chestnuts (usually about half a jar)
Freshly ground pepper and possibly sea salt, if your bacon wasn't very salty.
Heat a medium large pot of salted water to a boil. Core the half cabbage, remove any outer damaged leaves, and cut into 1" squares. Blanch for 10 minutes in the boiling salted water, drain and reserve.
Meanwhile, heat your claypot slowly over medium heat using a flame tamer. If you are using red onion, soak the slices in cold water for 10 minutes, drain and dry well in paper towels. Add the butter and duck fat, and when it is melted and starting to sizzle, add the bacon and onion. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes until the onion is barely golden. Add the cabbage and apples, combine gently, cover and cook for 30 minutes, reducing the heat to low. Taste the cabbage. It should be velvety soft and very tasty. Refrain from eating more than a spoonful. Add the chestnuts, combine gently, cover and cook 10 minutes more. Correct the seasoning. Serve directly from the homey claypot (which will keep your vegetables nicely hot at table) with grilled pigeon or other game birds, or with pork.
Note: This simple vegetable combination turns out simply too good to be true when cooked in clay. I was selfishly delighted to find myself home alone at lunch time the following day, when I promptly devoured all the leftovers. They were--if possible--even better than the night before.Truly a dish that becomes greater than the sum of its parts through the virture of cooking in clay.
Share
Products of Interest:
Provençal marmite
Tuscan poêlon
Tuscan marmitta
Tuscan tegame
Porte-lettres
Kitchen twine dispenser
Tuscan tegame