Since we signed up for a local share with Plan B Organic Farms CSA, we’ve had some great quality local, organic produce to experiment with.  One of the things we’ve been getting is cabbage, which outside of coleslaw I’ve never really done all that much with.  Cabbage is a vegetable that can take a lot of cooking and works well in a braise, sucking up whatever flavours you use in your braising liquid.  In this recipe, I used beer and pancetta.  Bacon could be used just as easily, but I had a bit of pancetta left that I made and wanted to finish that off.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bottle of flavourful beer – I used a bottle of Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale
• 1/2 green cabbage, cut into 1/4 inch shreds
• 5 slices of thick cut rolled pancetta or bacon, cut into 1/4 inch strips
• 1 onion, cut into slices
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
• salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat a pan over medium heat
2. Cook pancetta until crispy and remove
3. Cook onion in pancetta grease until transparent
4. Add the cabbage and chili flakes and cook for a couple of minutes
   
5. Add the pancetta and about 2/3rds of the beer
6. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally

Quick and easy dish that tastes great and has a little bit of kick from the chili flakes.  This goes well with pretty much anything!