Marie cooks Skyrim: "Apple Cabbage Stew"

I used to have a bit of a problem with Skyrim. I spent *a lot* of time playing during my grad school years; for a little while my addiction was so bad I literally ran a mile home between classes to play just a few minutes before running back. One of the things I liked about the game was making food. Cooking roasted rabbit or grilled leeks in game to scarf down in the middle of a dragon fight always made me crave hearty winter food. Even now, whenever Joe makes beef stew or split pea soup I will have a fleeting desire to play Skyrim again. I don’t play as much anymore (thank goodness) but I never quite shook the silly desire to make every single in-game food in real life.

One of the most memorable dishes in Skyrim is Apple Cabbage Stew. Which sounds, frankly, gross. I was able to find several dishes for broth soups with apple and cabbage, but these didn’t really seem appealing to me. In addition I don’t like calling a thin soup “stew,” since I think of stew as having a thicker texture. However, braised cabbage with apple is a traditional German recipe. This seemed to me the best place to start when trying to find an apple cabbage recipe that would actually taste good.  I saved a handful of different versions of braised or fried cabbage and apples that looked tasty and told myself I would make them some day.

On a recent rainy day, I found myself with an abundance of cabbage left over from makingIndian Spiced Cabbage and Onion Patties and decided to go ahead and try one of the recipes I had saved. This one is based on a Southern fried cabbage recipe and I found it surprisingly delicious. It has a sweet-and-sour taste and good texture and would pair well with sausage or pork roast, although I completely devoured my bowl full on its own, without any accompaniment.

Fried Cabbage with Apples and Onions

2 tablespoons butter
1 apple, coarsely grated
½ head of green cabbage, thinly sliced (about 3 – 4 cups)
1 small onion (Vidalia works well), thinly sliced
½ teaspoon salt
Dash of ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey or sugar
salt and pepper

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add apples, cabbage, onion, salt, nutmeg, vinegar, and sugar; sauté over medium-high heat until tender (about 12-15 minutes). Season with salt and pepper, to taste.