I always appreciate cabbage rolls or stuffed cabbage, when offered to me in meat-free format, but I don't think I would ever take the time to produce them at home. Of course, Martha Stewart channels her inner Pole and makes it look so very easy, but I think I would just make a mess.I was delighted to find a recipe for Unstuffed Sweet and Sour Cabbage in the latest issue of Gourmet magazine. It takes the basic idea and flavors of a stuffed cabbage, but simplifies the concept into an easy, weeknight meal. Basically, you quarter the cabbage and cook until it's tender. In the meantime, you prepare a tomato sauce with vinegar, dried cranberries and brown sugar. Add the cooked cabbage and simmer.
It really was the perfect meal for a chilly fall evening in Indiana. I chopped the leftover pieces and am going to thin the sauce with the little broth for cabbage soup the second time around. Of course, I used veggie crumbles instead of the mentioned ground meats, but it was still very yummy.