silky soft

Not quite the title you'd expect for a cabbage and sausage stew post, right? I have a wee small addiction to this right now. Its the perfect seasonal meal. Cabbage, fennel and some kale if you like it, all cooked down to a silky smooth, sweet redux . Perfect, delicious comfort food. We're still needing it here in the cold 'NO, IT DOESN'T FEEL LIKE SPRING YET'! Adelaide Hills. So good that I ate the leftovers for breakfast and lunch. I'm not sure exactly what makes this dish so good. The thick sweet and salty stock? The smooth hit of cabbage and pancetta or the just perfect fennel and pork and chilli combo? Dunno- but it's certainly on my repertoire radar right now. Lucky we have a local that stocks chilli, fennel and pork biodynamic snags! My homemade chicken stock is working a treat here. I'm  making at least one big batch a week to cope with all the excess bits.

Verzada ( Italian cabbage and sausage stew)
Serves 4
1/2 cabbage - roughly chopped
2 onions - sliced
1 fennel bulb - sliced
5 Italian pork, fennel and chilli sausages - sliced diagonally
pancetta - roughly chopped ( I used 5 slices)

1/2 cup white wine

2 cups chicken stock

salt n pepper
olive oil for frying
good quality red wine vinegar

greens if you like- roughly chopped
small pasta if desired ( I used  acini di pepe 'peppercorns')

Add onion, sausage, pancetta and fennel to heated oil and cook until onions and fennel turn and meat is slightly caramelised. Add cabbage and stir until coated with oil. Add wine. Stir through to remove bits from bottom of pan. Add stock and some water if you like a more soupy style. Cook until cabbage is translucent and liquid has reduced a little, around 40 minutes. Add pasta and greens now if using. Season. Continue on low /med heat until pasta is cooked. Serve hot with a good splash of vinegar on top. Crusty bread to mop. A chilled white to cut ( i omitted this at breakfast , and lunch...)

Try and resist just one serving. If I ever need one, this may be my requested last meal.