I am craving fried cabbage and hounds ears. Hang on before you call the ASPCA.
My Gram used to make hounds ear noodles (I've heard them called hounds ear dumplings, too). Rectangular noodles usually cooked with a stewed chicken. My Gram would cook the noodles in broth and toss them into a big pan of fried cabbage.
Bliss.
It is not diet food.
Most of my friends have never eaten fried cabbage. This floors me!
To be fair, the idea of boiled cabbage scares the hell out of me. I can't bring myself to try it.
Fried cabbage (done right) is tender, sweet and buttery. If you burn it- throw the whole thing out.
Gram went really light on the bacon, so that's how I cook mine. Michael would prefer a pan of bacon with some cabbage sprinkled on it. I don't use much onion, either.
A few years ago, we were having dinner with friends and some new people..talking about the foods we grew up on. My mention of hounds ears was met with "Wow, that sounds incredibly white trash".
Damn straight.
Pass the Prozac:
WV is the saddest state
Fine. We're sad...but we aren't whining about it.
Imagine a bunch of steel workers or miners talking about their sad feelings. No? I can't either.
They just keep on doing their thing.
I went through a brief period of shame as a teenager about being from WV...but now? I grew up and found out who I was..I'm proud to be from West Virginia.
Yes, a lot of us are redneck, backwoods, white trash, hillbilly...
When trouble hits, that's exactly the kind of person I want at my back.
Well. Maybe not these people.
Quick WV Trivia because people always make this reference to me:
Freaking Deliverance was not set in WV. It was set in Georgia.
Georgia.
Not WV.
Gah.
ha ha!!!
ReplyDeleteand i've never HEARD of fried cabbage. :)
OHMAHGAWD. You have got to remedy this immediately! If you like cabbage at all, this will blow your mind. (yes, I'm opinionated about fried cabbage!) ;)
ReplyDeleteOoo! I have never heard of fried cabbage, either, but now I want some. Any chance you would be willing to share a recipe? Or is it a family secret?
ReplyDeleteI'm all for sharing the love! No precise recipe here- I have vague notes from Gram when I moved into my 1st apartment.
ReplyDeleteYou're going to want an enormous skillet for this...
2-3 strips of thick cut bacon, or a ton if you're my Michael
1 head cabbage, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
thinly sliced sweet onion, maybe 1/8th cup?
In large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and all but 2 tbsp grease. Here's where the debate starts. A lot of people don't use onion. I add onion..then add chopped cabbage to skillet and cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly and watching with eagle eyes for signs of scorching, for about five minutes. Reduce heat to low and cover. Continue cooking until cabbage is tender and translucent..should be a light brown. If your skillet looks dry, feel free to add a pat of butter. Butter can only improve things.
We're usually a low fat, low sodium kind of household. This is not one of those times.
Let me know if I need to clarify! :)
Nope, no need for clarification. That sounds pretty simple! Bacon makes all things good... :)
ReplyDeleteSo, is this a side dish for you or a main dish?
If I'm making noodles with it, it's a main dish.
ReplyDeleteMichael loves fried cabbage, mashed potatoes and kielbasa (I use turkey kielbasa in an attempt to lower the lard content. Eek.)
Did you know you're the top result for "hound's ear noodle"? Did you know none of the rest are what you describe?
ReplyDeleteI am now curious, as it strikes me as the perfect sort of accompaniment to the quick pounded chicken breasts in wine and caper/lemon/olive thing we did earlier.
Awesome. I can spread the word of Hounds Ear.
ReplyDeleteCheck Google for Hounds Ear Dumplings. I see tons of the exact noodle I'm describing.
(I can't call a flat noodle thing a dumpling)