Better with bacon

In Thathouse cabbage usually comes in one of two forms - once a year on the 17th of March you will find it boiled alongside potatoes and carrots and served with corned beef. The rest of the year it is shredded and tossed with vinegar in a decidedly slaw-like manner. (And sometime later this week I'll be sure to share my go-to slaw recipe with you.)

But honestly, there's a limit to how much coleslaw one person can eat. And a whole head of cabbage would make a ridiculous amount of coleslaw. So I usually chop it in half. And then have half a head of cabbage that sits around growing disgusting until I end up trashing it and feeling incredibly wasteful.

This time I vowed not to let that happen. Knowing that bacon is what initially won over Thatboy and brussels sprouts, it seemed like a natural addition to cabbage. Or if not natural, at least something that would impart a delicious flavor.

Thatboy was instantly won over. "Bacon makes cabbage taste really good!" And you know what? He's totally right. So with that in mind, here are two variations on a theme - bacon and cabbage.

Bacon and Cabbage (1)
1/2 head of cabbage, core removed
2 slices of bacon
2 Tbsp melted butter
salt and pepper

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil Tear cabbage into bite sized pieces.
2. While waiting for the water to boil, cook the bacon.
3. Place cabbage in boiling water for a quick minute and drain.
4. Toss together the cabbage, butter, salt, pepper, and crumbled bacon.

Bacon and Cabbage (2)
4 strips of bacon
1/2 head of cabbage, shredded (I did it here with bok choy, just because you can do it with any cabbage you love)
salt and pepper

1. Cook the bacon in a skillet and remove the bacon (leave the drippings!)
2. Add the cabbage to the bacon dripping, cover and cook for 3 minutes.
3. Crumble the bacon into the cabbage, season with salt and pepper.