Corn-Free, Yeast-Free Marinated Onions

   Most of the relishes and other condiments at the grocery store contain a lot of white vinegar. This can be a problem if you are allergic to the corn that most white vinegar is made from. It's also a problem if you are seriously allergic to yeast, as traces of yeast are likely to remain in vinegar. These marinated onions, besides being vinegar-free, have a citrusy tang and a tamed onion flavor that make them an excellent all-purpose relish.

     
     1/4 c. fresh squeezed grapefruit juice (See Juice in the Glossary)
     1/4 c. fresh squeezed lime juice (See Juice in the Glossary)
     1 large mild red onion 
     salt (See Salt in the Glossary)

     Stir the grapefruit juice, lime juice and 1 tsp. of salt together in a bowl. Slice the onion into very thin strips (see the illustration below).  Move the onion to the bowl; stir. Allow to steep at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust salt to taste. Refrigerate.

Hypoallergenic Caramelized Cabbage

     Caramelizing gives cabbage a surprisingly intense, savory flavor without added allergens such as butter or sour cream. Caramelizing does take some time, so do this when you are going to be busy in the kitchen anyway.

This is about the amount of browning I like. Taste your cabbage
as it cooks and find out what level of caramelizing you like
 the best.

     1/4 c. olive or other oil (See Oil in the Glossary) 
     1 head of cabbage
     salt (See Salt in the Glossary)

This is half a cabbage being caramelized. You don't want to scale the recipe down more than this. For one thing, cabbage cooks down surprisingly much. For another, the cabbage is likely to scorch if the pan isn't full enough.

 

     Cut the cabbage into uniform strips. maybe 2 inches by 1/2 inch. Heat up the oil in a heavy-bottomed stainless pot, add the cabbage and a good sprinkle of salt, and set the burner to medium high. Stir frequently. The goal is to brown, but not burn, the cabbage.  Stirred constantly, it may not brown; left alone for too long, it will scorch. As time passes, you will need to stir more frequently and to turn the heat down.  You may need to add a little water occasionally to prevent scorching and to stir up browned bits stuck to the pan. Thoroughly cooking down and browning the cabbage should take 30 minutes or so. Add salt to taste. Mix with pasta for a classic side dish if you like.