Being of eastern-European descent, a side dish that I’m used to seeing on the table is sautéed cabbage. My mother usually uses green cabbage but I prefer the purple variety for its richer flavor and beautiful color (also, it has twice the amount of vitamin C).

(Yield: 4-6 servings)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 large yellow onion, sliced

1/2 head purple cabbage, shredded (about 4 c)

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp tomato paste

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp basil chiffonade

Salt/pepper

Heat the oil and butter in a sauté pan on medium-low heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt, stir and sauté until onion is translucent, about 4 min. Add cabbage, sugar, mustard, tomato paste, vinegar and black pepper to taste. Stir, cover with lid and cook until cabbage is soft, stirring frequently, about 20 min.

Re-season if necessary. Stir in basil and serve hot.

This dish goes fabulously with Russian pork chops : )