Ruth Reichl's Sauteed Cabbage with Bacon and Cream and Pierogi

On St. Patrick's Day I feel compelled to eat at least one of these three things: cabbage, potatoes, and/or corned beef. This St. Patrick's Day I opted for Sauteed Cabbage with Bacon and Cream. My mom used to saute cabbage and bacon and mix it into egg noodles, but I didn't have any egg noodles so I did the next best thing and tossed my cabbage with pierogi.

 My mom's egg noodles with sauteed cabbage and bacon will always have a special place in my heart, but the choice to add the pierogi...well, that was one of my better decisions for sure. The pierogi is the best of both worlds. A little pasta.  A little mashed potato. It's the perfect compliment to Ruth's Sauteed Cabbage with Bacon and Cream.

Ruth's Sauteed Cabbage with Bacon and Cream is perfectly delicate and pleasant to eat. Everything about it feels perfectly balanced and light. If you're expecting a pungent strong odor that sometimes happens when you cook cabbage, don't. Only beautifully fragrant smells here. In fact, my kids, who don't like cabbage, both came downstairs because they said it smelled wonderful. They even tried a few bites and deemed it delicious.

This is a winning side dish that can easily be turned into a main dish by adding in pierogi, egg noodles, and/or potatoes of some sort. I will gladly make it again and again!

Sauteed Cabbage with Bacon and Cream

Adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook

by Ruth Reichl

Serves 4-6

1/4 pound bacon (4 slices, cut crosswise into 1/2" wide pieces)

1 small head cabbage, cored and sliced

1 teaspoon salt*

1/2 cup heavy cream

black pepper

12 pierogi, if using (homemade or boxed)

Optional: parsley, for garnishing

Note: I wanted to mix the cabbage with egg noodles, but I didn't have any so I opted for pierogi.   You can make your own pierogi or buy a box. I boiled mine for a few minutes in a separate pan and then mixed them into the cabbage when they were done cooking.

Cook bacon in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat, stirring, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cabbage and salt and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until cabbage is wilted about 3 minutes. Add cream, reduce heat to moderately low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender, 10 to 15 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. (I noticed that I had to be pretty heavy handed with the salt).