Cabbage and Sausage - what a great pairing! Even your cabbage hating eater will love this one!
*See Kitchen Notes for substitutions and further information.
In a large skillet with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, turning once 4 minutes per side or until brown on at least two sides.
Sauté, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until vegetables start to soften.
Add the bourbon. Deglaze the pan, scraping anything stuck on the bottom.
If all of the moisture has evaporated from the skillet, add ~1/4 cup water.* (See Kitchen Notes)
Sausage – Use your favorite uncooked sausage – Bratwurst, Knackwurst, Italian, Chorizo, whatever you like. Smoked sausage does not work because, first of all, you want to the capture all of the rendered fats from the initial cooking of the sausage and incorporate that into the dish. Also, as the sausage cooks during the “braise”, you want any of the juices that escape from the sausage to drip into the cabbage mixture, adding that sausage flavor that we oh so love. Our favorite is a hot Italian sausage.
Cabbage – Use whatever is available. Green cabbage, savoy, and Napa all work great! Of course the flavor and texture of the cabbage mixture will be a little different between types of cabbages, but that just provides you with a way to change up the recipe a bit and to use what’s available.
Raisins – The raisins do add some “sweetness” to the dish which I find very complementary with Italian sausage and Bratswurst. However, when I use Chorizo, I reduce the amount of raisins to 1/4 cup with better results. If you aren’t a fan of “sweet and savory”, then definitely use 1/4 cup or less; however, I wouldn’t suggest eliminating the raisins altogether. If you aren’t a raisin eater, then you could try substituting with dried cranberries. I can’t speak for the results, but I do know that cranberries do make a great substitute in many dishes.
That added water – In order for the sausage to continue cooking once the skillet is covered and to keep the cabbage mixture from burning, there needs to be a small amount of liquid in the skillet when you cover it to finish cooking. Therefore, if the pan is dry and the ingredients are beginning to stick to the skillet, add up to 1/4 cup water. That’s all that is needed to finish cooking the meal.
Bread or no Bread – I do love serving this dish over a slice of toasted Farmer’s Bread. It feels like eating a Diner’s Special. 🙂 However, if I don’t have the bread, it doesn’t stop me from making it. With or without the toast, this sausage and cabbage dish is a winner!
Recipe author: MJ of MJ's Kitchen