Cherry & Dennis Recipes
Cajun-style Dirty Cabbage with Beef and Smoked Sausage
卡真風味肉腸牛肉燴椰菜
Recipe overview
Cajun-style Dirty Cabbage is a Southern-inspired one-pan meal. “Dirty” describes the darker mixed appearance from crumbled meat, spices and softened vegetables, never hygiene. Sear smoked sausage, cook ground beef separately, remove excess fat, soften the Cajun vegetables, add cabbage in batches with only a little stock, then uncover to reduce.
01
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 medium, about 900 g cored; wash layers and cut 4–5 cm pieces Green cabbage
- 400 g; 10–15% fat, chilled and loosened Ground beef
- 300 g; 1 cm rounds, check heating and allergen label Smoked sausage
- 180 g, red bell pepper 150 g, green bell pepper 150 g, celery stalk 120 g, 4 garlic cloves; wash and dice Onion
- 180 ml; only for braising cabbage; scallions; chopped to finish; 2 scallions; chopped to finish Unsalted chicken stock
- 2 piece; spring onion
Beef seasoning
- 1 teaspoon (check salt and heat first), black pepper 1/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
Cajun sauce base
- 1.5 tablespoons (cook 1 minute before stock), Cajun seasoning 1.5 teaspoons, smoked paprika 1 teaspoon, garlic and onion powder 1/2 teaspoon each, dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon, Worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoons (check wheat, soy, fish labels), cayenne up to 1/4 teaspoon optional Tomato paste
Cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon; only to start pan as meat renders fat Cooking oil
Finishing seasoning
- Pinches of salt and black pepper only after tasting; sausage, seasoning, Worcestershire and stock may be high sodium
02
Tools
- Large deep nonstick skillet and lid
- wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- tongs
- slotted spoon
- large and medium bowls
- two small bowls
- measuring cup
- knife
- separate raw-meat and vegetable boards
- tablespoon
- teaspoon
- chopsticks
- kitchen paper
- instant-read thermometer
- skimming spoon
- heatproof gloves.
- oven mitts
03
Steps
Step 1
Check cabbage
Remove damaged leaves and core, wash every layer, drain and cut 4–5 cm pieces.
Step 2
Cut sausage and vegetables
Cut sausage into 1 cm rounds; dice onion and celery, cut peppers, mince garlic.
Step 3
Loosen beef
Check quality, loosen with chopsticks and lightly mix Cajun seasoning and pepper.
Step 4
Sear sausage
Pan-sear one layer in little oil 1–2 minutes per side until golden and fully heated per label; set aside.
Step 5
Cook beef
Leave beef 30 seconds then crumble until brown, no pink or lumps, at least 71°C.
Step 6
Remove fat
Spoon away most meat fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon.
Step 7
Soften vegetables
Cook onion, celery and peppers 4–5 minutes; cook garlic 20 seconds.
Step 8
Cook paste and spices
Cook tomato paste in dry spot 1 minute, then Cajun spices 15 seconds without burning.
Step 9
Add cabbage in batches
Add half first and lift from base; add remaining cabbage only once it wilts.
Step 10
Covered braise
Add little stock and Worcestershire, cover 10–12 minutes on medium-low, turning from base every 4 minutes; never make soup.
Step 11
Return sausage and reduce
Return sausage when cabbage is soft but large; uncover 4–6 minutes to evaporate excess liquid.
Step 12
Taste and plate
Confirm beef is 71°C/no pink and sausage is heated as labelled; season after tasting, add scallion, serve, chill leftovers promptly and reheat thoroughly.
Common mistakes
- Dirty describes appearance, not hygiene
- wash cabbage layers and use large pieces, discard slimy rotten cabbage
- heat 1 cm sausage rounds per label
- loosen beef and cook separately to 71°C/no pink
- remove fat
- soften vegetables
- briefly cook paste and spices
- batch cabbage with little stock, cover and turn
- return sausage late, uncover to reduce
- taste before salt—this is not low sodium.
Tips
Prepare everything and keep raw meat and vegetables on separate boards; Cajun brands vary in heat and salt, so check labels and reduce cayenne if needed. Check sausage, seasoning, Worcestershire and stock for celery, wheat, soy, mustard, dairy and other allergens; processed sausage and seasonings are high sodium.
