Dijon Braised Cabbage

This is a very simple dish, more a technique than an actual recipe. My friend Alisa made this for a potluck and it was so delicious it was the most requested recipe of the night. I never would have guessed the ingredients and method were so simple. You just need a lot of time - it varies depending on the temperature you use and the size of the pan, etc, but it takes anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half to finish. 

Cast of characters - cabbage, cream, Dijon mustard, butter, salt and pepper. 

Chop cabbage up into small squares. Maybe 1 inch by 2 inches? It doesn't really matter, just keep things roughly the same size. I used about half a cabbage for an 8X12 lasagne pan. 

Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and dot with about 1 tablespoon of butter. Bake in a 400F oven for about 20 minutes.

Until it looks like this - slightly wilted with a few brown bits starting. 

Now squeeze on about 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard. Grainy would work well too, just not the ballpark hotdog style stuff. 

And a big slosh of cream. I think this ended up being between 1/4 and 1/2 cup. I actually usually use evaporated milk with good results, but the original calls for cream, and I happened to have some in the fridge. 

Stir it all around and put back in the oven. 

Stir every 20 minutes or so and continue roasting until cabbage is fully wilted and well browned and it's moist but with no standing liquid. If it's drying out too fast but the cabbage hasn't cooked, add a splash of milk or water and continue to roast. Recheck the salt/pepper level and re-season if necessary.

This is a very forgiving recipe. Sometimes I add onions. Sometimes I cook it at 350F because it's going in the oven alongside something that needs a lower temperature. Sometimes I use chicken broth in addition to the milk/cream. Savoy cabbage works well too, I just like plain green cabbage better.