Cabbage with Potato Dumplings

Another from my grandmother's cookbook.

I was talking to my mom on the phone awhile back while my dad was making this for dinner but it didn't sound very tempting to me.  When I was out of town last week I gave my farm share to a friend, who, upon my return, gave me back the red cabbage.  He doesn't like cabbage.  His family doesn't like cabbage.  I gave him my best recipe suggestion - the caraway/tomato/sour cream concoction - and he shot it down.  The next recipe that came to mind was this, probably because my mom had read the recipe to me over the phone.  My friend said that he would not make it, but would serve it to his family if I made it.

I forgot that this recipe calls for bacon.  Not a huge deal, though, I used butter instead, and sprinkled in some liquid smoke.  (Liquid smoke is very important if you have rabid meat-lovers over for dinner.  It somehow fools them... I don't know how.  I like a little smoky flavor, sure, but it certainly doesn't taste like meat.)

Cook one small head cabbage in butter with a sprinkling of liquid smoke until it's tender.  Meanwhile, finely shred 3 small potatoes, and soak/rinse in cold water.  (I finally bought myself a decent food processor.  It makes shredding so easy.)  Pull the potatoes out of the cold water and mix with a little flour (I think I used whole wheat) to make dough.  Also add the potato starch from the bottom of the cold water you were soaking the potatoes in.  Make them into little balls and boil them in water, add to the cabbage.

I used half my cabbage for this and half for the caraway/tomato/sour cream concoction, and the color difference is stunning.  This is beet-colored, almost, and dark and shocking pink, and the other dish is a warm pink.

Again, if I had a decent camera, I would show you!  Oh well.