I took a traditional Romanian dish and added my own twist on it to make it healthy and vegan. In the traditional recipe, the cabbage is cooked with lard. It has only 3 ingredients and seasoning, but it takes a long time to cook on the hob. As I have to stir only once every 10 minutes, it’s not that bad.

Ingredients for 6 servings of Cabbage and tomatoes:

– 1 cabbage
– 1 small can of tomato paste, thick
– 5 spoons of oil
– salt and black pepper

Chop the cabbage by hand or with a food processor. Put the cabbage in a big bowl and pour boiling water on it. If you boil the cabbage for 10-15 minutes it will take less to cook after that. Drain the cabbage.
Pre heat a big pan and add oil and the cabbage. Leave it to cook over medium heat for 1-2 hours, stirring every 10 minutes. If the cabbage is not releasing enough water, add some water when you stir. The cabbage should be shallow-fried, not boiled, so don’t add too much water.

When the cabbage is almost cooked, prepare the tomato paste by thinning it with 100-150ml water. Pour the tomato paste in the pan and add the salt and pepper too. Mix well and leave it on the hob for another 5 to 10 minutes.

The side dish is ready to be served. I pair it with sausages and it’s a really delicious dish.