When we were kids, my mom used to make her version of a German dish. It usually included cabbage, onions, potatoes, and apples baked with some kind of sausage, usually Kielbasa or Bratwurst. Generally it would be an easily baked dinner served with mustard and whatever green vegetable she had on hand. Though I’ve changed it a bit, I like using the foundational flavors of her dish in something I make for my own family.

This is more traditional with potatoes, but because of my food allergies, I substitute sweet potatoes for the baby red potatoes. It gives this dish a slightly moister texture and a little more sweetness. Another variation is to use sauerkraut in place of the fresh cabbage. It changes the texture and flavor entirely, but is also tasty.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 pound fresh bratwurst
1/2 cup apple cider
1 1/2 cups sweet or baby red potatoes, cut into 1″ cubes
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 sweet apple, cored and chopped
2 cups green cabbage, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon dried mustard seed
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper

Method
Combine the cabbage, potatoes, onions, and apples in a large bowl. Add the mustard seed, salt, and pepper. Mix well to thoroughly combine. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat.

When the pan is hot and butter is melted, add the bratwurst and brown for 5-6 minutes on each side to to add some color and texture to the skins of the sausage.

Remove the bratwurst and set aside on a paper-towel-lined plate. Next, deglaze the pan using the apple cider, scraping up any brown bits with a spatula.

Add the vegetables to the pan, toss a few times to coat with cider, and then cover the pan with a lid. Let this simmer for 12-14 minutes, or until cabbage has reduced and the potatoes begin to soften. Next, add the sausages back into the pan, nestling them down into the vegetables a bit. Replace the cover and let it cook for another 10-12 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft and the sausages are cooked through.

Serve the bratwurst over the vegetables with some course mustard on the side.

I’ve tried this with making the sauce from scratch rather than a jar, but I oddly prefer the jar. I use 505 Green Chile Sauce in the mild variety. It’s organic and domestically grown and cooked in our neighbor state of New Mexico.

Once cooked, this pork is best served in a burrito with fresh cilantro, cheese, sour cream, and lime, but it is great for nachos or a taco salad, too.

Ingredients
1.5 – 2lbs pork shoulder roast or country ribs (boneless is easiest)
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 16-oz jar of 505 mild green chile sauce
1 green Anaheim pepper, roasted and chopped (in a pinch, use a can of mild green chiles)
1 tablespoon chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped (add more if you like it spicier)
Juice of 1 lime
1/3 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
Salt to taste

Method
Chop the onion and place in a Crockpot with pork on low heat. Let cook for 3-4 hours until pork is fully cooked, tender, and falls apart easily. If you have a bone-in roast, remove bone. Shred the pork with a fork. Add the chile sauce, Anaheim and chipotle peppers, and lime juice. Cook for another 30-60 minutes. Just before serving, add the cilantro and salt and then stir.

Serve immediately or store refrigerated for up to four days.

An Italian bean mix can be achieved a few different ways. If you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to start from dry beans, use 1 15-oz can each of dark red kidney beans and white kidney beans (cannellini) drained and rinsed. Or, if you prefer to slow-cook your beans, use 1 cup each of these dry, or use a pre-measured, dry Italian mix. Whichever way you choose, you’ll ultimately have about two pounds of cooked beans. (If you’re not familiar with cooking dried beans, look here. It’s really not as complicated as it’s often made out to be.

Ingredients
1 lb spicy Italian sausage
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 stalk of fennel, peeled, split, and thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
1.5 quarts chicken stock (not broth, grown-up, full-bodied STOCK.)
2 lbs cooked Italian bean mix, drained and rinsed
1 15oz can diced, stewed tomatoes
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaf (1/2 tsp dried)
1 tbsp fresh oregano leaf (1/2 tsp dried)
1 tsp fresh rosemary leaf, chopped (1/4 tsp ground)
1 tbsp fresh basil leaf, chopped (1/2 tsp dried)
2 dry bay leaves
1/4 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped (1 tbsp dried)
1/2 tsp Tobasco sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Optional: 1 cup conghigliette (small shells) or ditalini (small, short tubes) pasta
Fresh julienned basil and shredded Parmesan cheese to garnish.

Method
In a large dutch oven, brown the sausage until cooked through. The sausage I buy tends to be lean, and I find I need to add 1-2 tbsp olive oil. Remove sausage from pan and set aside. In remaining oil, saute onions, carrots, and celery together with wine. As soon as the wine has evaporated, add the salt and sweat over medium heat for about 10 – 12 minutes. Add the zucchini and fennel and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the fresh herbs and saute another 2-3 minutes. Add sausage, mix thoroughly. Add chicken stock, beans, and tomatoes. Heat to a simmer, then turn to low heat and cover.

Cook 45 to 60 minutes. Near the end of cooking, add Tobasco if you prefer a bit more spice than the sausage provides. Add the pasta, cook until done. Serve garnished with fresh julienned basil, a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, and a side of thick, crusty Italian bread