CookTeaser

A CookTale

Before Cathie threw up her hands and walked away from the kitchen, (I was that perennial pain in the ass that continued to add things to her pot). She rightfully prided herself as a self taught Julia Child’s cook, and a very good one. One of her many signature dishes is this delicious Chou, adapted from a classic cookbook by Simon Beck. Actually I’m the one who should walk away from the kitchen! Much too high strung for that to happen.INGREDIENTS

1 medium-sized Cabbage
Salt & Pepper
3 tsp Cumin
3/4 C chopped Onions
4 TB Vegetable Oil, or any Oil
1 lb fresh Country Sausage
1/2 lb boiled Ham
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
Allspice
Paprika
1-1/2 lb Apples
1 TB Oil
1-1/4 C Heavy Cream

METHOD

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Quarter the Cabbage, discarding any tough or wilted Leaves. Plunge into boiling water. When water returns to a boil, as 1 TB of salt. Boil Cabbage about 10 minutes uncovered. Refresh it in a colander under cold running water. When cool, separate the Leaves and spread them out on paper towels and blot dry.
When they are thoroughly dry, sprinkle them with a little Salt & Pepper and about 2 tsp of Cumin. Set aside.

3. Saute chopped Onions gently in the Oil for about 5 minutes. Season with Salt & Pepper and cook until the Onions are soft and slightly brown. Set aside in a large bowl.

4. In the same skillet, brown the sausage meat and drain on absorbent paper. Cut the boiled Ham into tiny pieces. Stir the Sausage and the boiled Ham into the Onions. Beat the Eggs with the remaining Cumin, Allspice and Paprika, and add to the Meat mixture. Set aside.

5. Peel & core the Apples and cut into 1/4” dice. Rub a casserole with 1 TB Oil. Line the bottom and sides with a layer of Cabbage Leaves and spoon in a little Heavy Cream. Then put a layer each of Apples, Cabbage Leaves, half the meat mixture, spooning some Cream between each layer. Finish the casserole the same way, filling it to the top, and finishing with a layer of Apples and a layer of Cabbage Leaves.

6. Cover the casserole and bake in the preheated oven for 1/2 hour. Then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and finish cooking for 1-1/4 hours. The mixture will be very smooth and tender.

7. Plate as a one dish dinner.