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.