Here is an absolutely luscious, rich winter dish. We started off working with an Alice Waters recipe, but then we were inspired by Michael Ruhlman's love of veal stock to meat things up a bit to great effect.
We think he is wrong in declaring veal stock to be "a selfless stock" - it does have a flavor of its own, and only seems neutral if it's part of the baseline flavor profile of your culture. Maybe Ruhlman can't taste veal stock, but we can; then again, we barely taste garlic and onions at this point because they are so ubiquitous in our cooking.
That said, Ruhlman was right about veal stock being a tasty tool to have in your arsenal. It elevated the cabbage and chestnuts here into something magnificent. Full recipe after the jump.
Red Cabbage with Chestnuts
(adapted from Chez Panisse Vegetables
1 lb cooked chestnuts (I like using the vacuum-packed ones)
1 small red cabbage
1/2 C white wine
duck fat for sauteing
Sherry vinegar to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Veal stock to taste
Chop the chestnuts into about 1/4" dice. Saute in duck fat until golden brown, then set aside.
Core the cabbage, then chop into 1/4" wide strips about 2-3" long, as if for sauerkraut. Add a bit more duck fat to the pan and saute the cabbage until it starts to get soft.
Stir in the white wine, salt and pepper, and some sherry vinegar. Stir in the chestnuts.
Continue to saute until soft, adding a splash of veal stock whenever the pan starts to get dry.
Add more vinegar and salt and black pepper to taste.
