Holiday Cooking with Miss Ginger- Part II

Now that all you Yankee biotches have choked down your nasty "steamed" or, (shudder) "boiled" cabbage, Miss Ginger is going to teach you the proper Southern way to cook cabbage! It's called "smothering", and you can "smother" just about anything. Most often Momma Ginger smothered cabbage, but she also smothered okra, pork chops, and chicken. But "smothered" cabbage was her best. I don't know if anyone else in the world uses that term, and I'm almost positive that you won't find it in any Martha Stewart books! But you'll use it once you've tasted cabbage made this way!
Start with a heavy dutch oven (GingerSnaps may recognize Miss G's heavy gumbo pot!). You'll need a bit of oil- or better yet, bacon drippings! Miss G uses olive oil year-round, but for holidays she can typically manage to come up with some bacon grease! (Momma Ginger used to keep bacon grease in a special stainless straining container until Daddy G's heart attack!)


Cut the cabbage into 4ths or 5ths, depending on size, and then 4ths or 5ths the other direction.








Once the cabbage is cut and the grease is hot, rinse the cabbage in water, then dump it into the grease. Sprinkle about a 1/4 cup or so of vinegar over the cabbage. Momma G used cider vinegar, Miss G uses rice wine vinegar, but any vinegar will do. This step reduces the "bitterness" you sometimes get with cabbage.



Season with your favorite seasoned salt, then stir the cabbage as best you can (the pot will be really full!) You just want to move it around enough to distribute the fat.
A little note about seasoned salt- the "gold standard" is Tony Cachere's Creole Seasoning. Miss G puts it on every thing. Emeril now markets something he calls "Magic Dust", but it's really just a late-comer copy of something Louisiana housewives have sworn by for years!
Add about a cup or so of water, cover the pot, let it come to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it cook. As long as you want to. The longer, the better, in Miss G's book. Get all your stirring done early, so the seasoning and flavor distribute while the cabbage is still firm. Don't stir it after it gets soft, or you will end up with mashed cabbage!

It's the tenderest, most flavorful cabbage you will ever eat, and it's the only cabbage Miss G will eat!