Golden Sausage and Cabbage Stew

With frigid winter evenings looming just around the corner, this hearty, delicious stew is definitely one to have in your arsenal! Originally found HERE on The Cozy Apron, it has fast become one of our favorite warm-you-up-from-the-inside-out recipes!

Golden Sausage and Cabbage Stew

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (14 ounce) package smoked turkey sausage, cut into bite-size slices
1 sweet onion, sliced into thin semi-circles
½ head small cabbage, halved again, cored and thinly sliced
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground caraway seeds
• Pinch salt
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or 3...we like it very garlic-y!)
1 cup lager beer
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed to bite-size pieces
2 ½ cups hot chicken stock
1 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
 

Place a large pot over medium-high heat, and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add in the smoked sausage, and allow the slices to caramelize and brown in the oil a bit, for 4-5 minutes; once the sausage is browned, add in the sliced onions, stir, and allow the onions to caramelize for another few minutes, until golden-brown and softened; add in the sliced cabbage, stir to combine, and allow the cabbage to soften.

Add in the black pepper, caraway seeds and the pinch of salt, and stir to combine. Next, stir in the garlic, and once it becomes aromatic, add the cup of lager, and combine. Allow the beer to slightly reduce for about 3 minutes or so.

Stir in the cubed potatoes and the hot chicken stock, and allow the mixture to come to the boil.- Place a lid on (slightly askew to allow just a little steam to escape), and reduce the heat to low to gently simmer the stew for about 40 minutes.

Remove from heat, and finish the stew by stirring in the apple cider vinegar and serve piping hot.

We love it accompanied by crostini topped with thin apple slices and brie. :-) I can just taste it now...

Eastern Pacific Rim Chowder

2 T olive oil
3 carrots, sliced
2 potatoes, cubed
2 onions, diced
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 T  ground cumin
2 T  ground coriander
1 t black pepper
3 dashes of sea salt
2 oz minced garlic (this is a lot of garlic to mince by hand, I cheat and get the pre-minced jar at the market)
4 oz sweet chili sauce
2 cans light coconut milk
1 oz Worcestershire sauce
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
Cooked seafood medley of your choice – we love crab legs (just half a crab is fine), shrimp (maybe 10-15 or so broken in half), and tilapia (half a filet roughly chopped)
Chop carrots, potatoes, onions, and celery. Heat oil in a large stock pot, add veggies, and saute until slightly softened. Add cumin, coriander, salt, pepper,  garlic, and just enough water to barely cover the vegetables. Simmer uncovered until vegetables are soft. Add sweet chili sauce, coconut milk,  and Worcestershire. Return to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 3 minutes to blend flavors. Add the cilantro and seafood right before you serve it up!

Annnnnd, enjoy :-)