Red Wine Braised Cabbage

Step 1

Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 325°F.

Step 2

Quarter the cabbage, leaving the core intact. Halve each of the quarters until you have eight wedges.

Step 3

Set a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and coat the surface of the pot with olive oil. In two batches, sear the cabbage until brown on each side, about 3-4 minutes per side.

Step 4

Remove the cabbage from the Dutch oven and place in a bowl. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

Step 5

Reduce the heat on the Dutch oven to medium and add another glug of olive oil. Sear the shallots, cut-side-down, for 2-3 minutes or until they are charred. Flip them over.

Step 6

Add in the parsnip and celery and stir to combine. Season with a few large pinches of salt and cook for 7-8 minutes or until the parsnips have softened.

Step 7

Add in the herbs, garlic and tomato paste and mix to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the tomato paste has darkened by one shade.

Step 8

Add in the bay leaves, broth, wine and vinegar. Season again with salt. Nestle all the cabbage pieces right on top of the broth. It will be a nice, tight fit, but that's a good thing!

Step 9

Move the Dutch oven to the oven and let it bake, uncovered, for 60-70 minutes or until the cabbage is darkened on top and has sunken into the braising liquid.

Step 10

Before serving, remove the bay leaves and taste the broth under the cabbage. Season with more salt and pepper as preferred.

Step 11

Serve each wedge of cabbage with a big pile of grits, polenta, or rice. Garnish with fresh parsley.