The Comfort of Cabbage
Cabbage, onions, egg noodles, and butter. It’s like a hug on a plate.
When I’m having a day where my feathers have been ruffled a bit, or when I’m sick of all the bad news on television— I find there’s nothing like peasant food to calm-the-sh*t down.
I reach for the beat-up French cleaver I bought from a farmer in rural Provence many years ago. Just holding it makes me think of the lovely elderly man who sold it to me.
And then I stretch waaaay into the back of my fridge and I drag out the ever-present wrinkly Savoy cabbage that resides there. (Honestly, I should charge it rent.) I get a few onions from the pantry and last but not least, I pluck a bag of broad egg noodles from my stash too.
It’s time to make the dish that solves the world’s problems.
It’s called Haluski by the Polish and Slovakians. Although the Ukrainians, Hungarians, and Czechoslovakians lay claim to it too.
Why do so many cultures love this simple dish? Because peasant food was always about cooking with the common and inexpensive ingredients you already had and giving them a twist. Farmers around the world have always grown cabbage and onions and they raised chickens so there was plenty of eggs to make homemade noodles. (Don’t worry — you will just buy your egg noodles from the store.)
When I’m having a day where my feathers have been ruffled a bit, or when I’m sick of all the bad news on television — I find there’s nothing like peasant food to calm-the-sh*t down.
And like all peasant foods, there is something calming about both cooking and eating them. You don’t have to spend much money to have comfort in these strange times.
I’m Canadian with Czech/British/Scottish/Irish peasant heritage so I call this dish — Cabbage, Onions, and Egg Noodles because I’m really creative like that.
I just heard you. You said, “What is Savoy cabbage?” You’ve probably walked right past it in the grocery store. It is super wrinkly, affordable, delicious both raw and cooked and I use it for pretty much anything cabbagey. (Yes, I just made that word up.) I also like that the leaves come apart easily. But, don’t fret if all you have is the regular, bowling ball kind of cabbage. It will work well here too.
This is a mellow dish — you’re not looking for spicy heat or any other strong flavor. (Please, put your damn omnipresent hot sauce away.) It is the kind of mellow that can only be achieved by slowly frying cabbage and onions with creamy butter. Over time the cabbage and onions sink into themselves vs being browned or crunchy. This isn’t a stir fry and please don’t exchange oil for butter as you won’t be happy with the greasy results.
Butter helps create a perfect union of tender cabbage and translucent onion and this is before the egg noodles are invited to the party.
It is super wrinkly, affordable, delicious both raw and cooked and I use it for pretty much anything cabbagey.
It is an easy side dish for almost any meat — I prefer bratwurst, pork roast, or venison with it. And it almost goes without saying, how good it is in a bowl all by itself. Sometimes I add a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds on top too.
Put aside your cabbage resistance due to bad childhood cabbage experiences. It is humble but incredibly tasty and it is also good for you. It holds out well as a leftover for your lunch in a few days and did I mention you can also add a splash of white wine to it?
Let’s get started — I’m hungry!
Cabbage, Onion, and Egg Noodle Dish
Serves 4 as a side dish or 2 as a main
1/2 medium-sized head of cabbage chopped in slices and then roughly chopped (don’t buy the nasty pre-shredded coleslaw stuff in a bag)
1 medium onion- roughly chopped
1 bag of broad/wide egg noodles
1/2 cup butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: Add a splash of white wine if you have it
Instructions:
- Get a pot of water boiling and cook egg noodles based on package instructions. Usually, this is for 5 minutes — you want them to be tender but not mushy. Remove from heat, drain and put to the side.
- While the noodles are cooking — put the cabbage, onions, and butter in a large frying pan on medium heat for 20 minutes. Stir them often. Fry until the vegetables are soft — this isn’t a crunchy cabbage dish. You may need to add more butter, so watch closely. “Don’t be afraid of butter!” said Julia Child.
- Once the cabbage and onions are cooked, add the drained egg noodles, a splash of white wine if you have it, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix it well. Warm gently for 5 minutes. Get your fork in there — you have to taste it to see if it needs more butter.
Thanks for reading! I have loads of food essays (delicious recipes too) and thoughtful and quirky simpler living essays waiting for you. (Well over 100 of them!) And this story caught the attention of NBC News In New York!