COMFORT FOOD: BRATWURST AND BUTTERED CABBAGE.

Today has just been the kind of Autumn day where comfort food is necessary. It started with a chilly early morning drizzle and got cloudy from there. My mind drifted off to someplace less dreary.  That place is food.

It's really incredible just how much my comfort foods have changed since going gluten free and then paleo.  If you asked me three years ago what my laundry list of comfort foods were, they would all have included flour.  Every single one of them. Pasta of just about any form, cookies, New England Clam Chowder and nothing really beats sausage gravy and buttermilk biscuits.  Now, when I look back, it's not surprising that my blog was called The Chubby Cook.

Since going gluten free, I've decided that I'm not going to try to replicate any of these former delights in some bastardized form.  Quinoa, corn, black bean or any other form of pasta that wasn't the real thing just didn't taste like the real thing.  I tried them all.  What it made me do was miss the real thing even more, because it was so close but just not there.  To make a long story short, my new mission when going gluten free initially was to find some foods that really hit me in the "I love it, but don't want it every day" category that comfort food always falls into.

Welcome to the bratwurst and buttered cabbage comfort section of this post.  Oh... It's so good.  Let's start with the bratwurst.  What's not to love about sausage?  And as far as sausages go, this dude is one of the kings.  The bratwurst is packed with flavor and tastes great both on the grill as well as in the pan.  And when you match it up with braised, slightly sweet and yet succulent buttered cabbage it is just a match made in heaven.  Although I just finished eating this awesome dish, after writing this paragraph I want some more.  It's just that good!

HOW DO YOU MAKE BUTTERED CABBAGE?

Making buttered cabbage is simple. Here are the basic steps:

1. Dice or slice the cabbage.
2. Add it to a pan over medium-high heat with a little water to soften the cabbage.
3. Add butter and salt.
4. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring every now and again to prevent sticking.
5. Check the seasonings and you're ready to eat.

BUTTERED CABBAGE AND SAUSAGE

To make exceptionally tasty buttered cabbage you need to add some sausage.  If you cook the sausage in the same pan that you are going to cook the cabbage in, the browned bits and flavor from the sausage will be infused into the cabbage as it cooks.

You can choose from many different sausages to use for this recipe. Here are some good choices:

1. Bratwurst. Made with pepper, nutmeg and sage. The earthy flavor pairs well with cabbage.
2. Chorizo. Smoky and spicy made with paprika. Great to add to paprikash or to serve with cabbage.
3. Kielbasa. Heavily seasoned with garlic and smoke. A classic combination with buttered cabbage.
4. Italian. With or without spice, this sweet sausage is great with cabbage. Even better with caraway seeds.
5. Andouille. Only use fresh andouille sausage (soft rather than smoked or cured) with delicious overtones of pepper, onions and wine. Delightful with cabbage dishes!