Oh my, I know how German this dish sounds but its name nicely captures the memories I have of spending cold winter days at home with my family rather than studying for the Christmas exams. My mum would cook this very often with the local and seasonal "savoy cabbage". This comforting dish is a creamy stew made from such cabbage (we call it "Wirsing" in German), potatoes and turnips, optionally with some "Mettwurst" from the local butcher. But the dish can also be enjoyed vegetarian or with the Dutch version of Mettwurst: Rookworst.
The best place to buy such a cabbage is at a local food market. It's often cheaper and of course more locally and environmental friendly to buy it from such seasonal markets! :)
Ingredients (4 servings):
1 Savoy Cabbage
4 large Potatoes, soft-boiling
1 large Onion
1 Turnip (German: Kohlrabi)
200ml Vegetable Broth
5 tsp Flour
150ml Milk
Salt & Pepper
100ml Heavy Cream
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
(optional) 4 Smoked Sausages
Method:
To prepare the cabbage, remove its outer leaves (these are often too chewy). Fill a large bowl with cold water and wash every cabbage leaf thoroughly (you do not want to have some protein surprises in your dish later). Then roughly cut the leaves into smaller quarters and set aside.
Wash the potatoes (don't peel them just yet) and boil until soft, for about 20 minutes. While the potatoes are cooking, peel and cut the onion and turnip into smaller bit sized pieces. In a large cooking pot, heat some oil and sauté the onion for a few minutes until they turn glassy. Add the turnip and just enough broth to not entirely cover the vegetables. Let simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the cabbage on top of the turnips, flour, milk, salt and pepper to taste. Stir everything to evenly spread the flour. With the lid closed, let the cabbage stew on medium low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once the cabbage has reduced in size and is soft, add the heavy cream and nutmeg and reduce the heat to a low. (Optionally: add the smoked sausages on top and let them steam in for another 10 minutes with the cabbage)
Peel and cut the cooked potatoes into bite sized pieces and add to the stew. Everything should be creamy and delicious by now :D ! Enjoy this comforting dish during cold winter days.
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