Pork and Cabbage in Spicy Tomato Sauce

I recently came across an recipe in Martha Stewart Living for using up odds and ends in your produce drawers, and thought it sounded amazing. It’s basically cabbage braised in a “spicy” tomato sauce (made with shallots and Calabrian chiles) ’til very, very tender and served with lemon wedges, fresh dill and dollops of sour cream.

While this would make a pretty hearty side or meatless main, I wanted to use it use up some pork chops I had in my freezer, so I browned one side of the chops in lots of olive oil then removed them from the pan. I basically then followed the Living recipe, sautéing onions and garlic instead of shallots (because that’s what I had) and red pepper flakes instead of the chiles (because that’s what I had) and simmering the cabbage in the a 28 oz. can of crushed fire-roasted (I recommend regular) tomatoes. I also added some sumac and paprika to the sauce, but that was my own riff and it’s optional, obviously.

When the cabbage got tender, I added the pork chops so they could finish in the sauce. Once they cooked through, I finished everything with a generous squeeze of lemon, dollops of sour cream and a generous sprinkling of fresh dill. I served this with smashed sour cream- dill potatoes.

I highly recommend trying this recipe yourself, whether you make it the way I did or you follow the recipe to the letter. It felt very fresh and different to me, and it’s a great way to use up some stuff in your fridge and pantry.