Ingredients needed: two medium yellow onions, sliced mushrooms, green cabbage (whole head or bag of coleslaw), at least two sweet apples, golden raisins, sliced almonds or walnuts, and for the wealthier among us, sausage of your choice.
Start out by putting a medium skillet and a large skillet on top of your stove. Put them on very low heat. Spray non-stick into the smaller one and add one-fourth cup of water. Chop two medium onions and open a package of sliced mushrooms and put them into the smaller pan, now heated. Turn up the heat to medium-low and let the onions and mushrooms fry for at least half an hour while you are busy chopping up a less than volley-ball sized head of green cabbage. To save time and wear and tear on you, buy a large bag of coleslaw instead. Stir the onions and mushrooms once in awhile.
Put half a cup of water into the larger skillet and turn up the heat to medium. Put the cabbage into the hot water and stir every now and then. Be sure not to burn the cabbage as the water disappears and the cabbage reduces. At this point, you could sprinkle on a tablespoon of olive oil. You might want to turn on the stove fan because cabbage does remind people of the novel 1984. At least it does me. Cabbage odors were prevalent in that horrendous story.
While the cabbage is browning, take any apples you may have on hand, at least two of them. No need to peel them at all. Just half and quarter them. Remove the seed bed and seeds. Seed bed? You know, the curved cradle that holds the seeds. Then chop the apple quarters into smaller chunks and add them to the cabbage. Next, add a half cup of golden raisins. Mix well and cover the skillet with a lid. What? No lid that big? Use aluminum foil then. Covering the mixture helps the apples to steam and get softer. Remove the cover after the cabbage has shrunk down and gotten browned and the apples are soft.
Now turn your attention to the onion-mushroom mix that has been reducing down to a delicious mess. Add all of it to the cabbage-apple-raisin mix and gently toss with your spatula. Take a taste and decide if you want to add any of your favorite spices or just some black pepper. If you are not concerned about saving money, think about adding chunks of browned sausage. When serving, sprinkle the almonds or walnuts on top. Yum!
The last time I was cooking this and deciding I should share the recipe with you, I started wondering how many people like cabbage cooked? How can I convince you to try this recipe if you are one who does not like cabbage? Believe me, just eating a plate of this special meal only once will change your mind. Also, you can feed at least three other lucky people inexpensively with my original recipe. But be sure the three lucky guests are adventurous eaters. And guess what? Cooking this actually trains you into becoming a multi-tasking cook without your even realizing it!
