Before joining the CSA, I planned meals based on what my husband and I wanted to eat. We made the menu and then we got the ingredients. With the CSA, the ingredients come to me and then I have to make a menu. It has been a little tricky.

Last week I got a big head of red cabbage and some pretty long leeks (there was other stuff, too). I had had enough stuffed cabbage. I think I perfected my recipe after about five attempts and I just couldn’t make it again. What was I going to do with cabbage and leeks?

Remember I mentioned how lucky I am to have three grandmas? Well, I’m also lucky enough to have a whole bunch of moms. Sure it comes with exponentially more nagging and guilt-tripping. I get “you never call anymore” in stereo. But it also comes with exponentially more delicious meals chock full of love (awww). One of my favorite dishes made by one of these wonderful mothers is braised red cabbage. It is on the table for any big family dinner, and for most it is the “whatever” dish. The unexciting dish. For me, it is the highlight of the meal.

I finally asked how she makes it and felt a little silly. It was really very easy. All this time, I thought it was this super fancy difficult dish but I was wrong.

So I have this head of cabbage and these leeks… seemed like braising them together would make a nice dish. How about some apples in there? Sure! Leeks taste like onion; I love the flavor of apples and onion together.

And to go with it… hmmm… chicken… maybe a quick sage and lemon pan sauce… and I have an annoyingly small amount of pasta in the pantry that needs to be used… let’s go with that.

Braised Red Cabbage with Leeks and Apples

• Head of red cabbage
• One leek (or red onion if you prefer)
• 2-4 apples of your choice (I like softer ones so they break down — firmer ones like Granny Smiths will stay chunky)
• Balsamic vinegar

Remove the tough outer leaves of the cabbage and slice the whole head in half long-ways (through the core). Then quarter it. To remove the core, simply cut it out at an angle. Very simple. Then chop the cabbage into small-ish pieces. Do this however you like. Unless Tom Colicchio is in your kitchen, it doesn’t need to be perfect. I chopped it like you would an onion — first I sliced horizontally, then sliced vertically. It doesn’t matter. Just chop it.

For the leeks. If you’ve never used leeks, don’t worry. It really isn’t hard. Trim off the end with the tough dark green leaves. You can toss them or save them for stock making. Then trim off the other end. Slice the leeks in half long-ways. Dirt and sand and stuff gets trapped in between all of those layers. You can rinse them under cold running water being sure to get all that gunk out. Some people like to put them in a bowl of water to get it all out — the dirt and stuff sinks to the bottom. Either way, get them clean. Once they’re dirt-free, slice them into little half-moons.

Apples — I leave the peels on. Core, them, slice them, and cut them into small chunks. I have two apple gadgets that I love (this one and this one), but a knife works just as well.

You’ll need a pretty big pot for this. Heat a little bit of olive oil in the pot over medium-low heat. Add the cabbage and the leeks. Toss them around a bit to spread the oil-love. Add a little balsamic and toss some more. You want the cabbage to start to wilt. To expedite this process, put a lid on it. Once they start to wilt, add the apples and stir. Add more balsamic. Just a little at a time. Cover and let it braise. Every few minutes, check on it and stir. The apples will start to break down a bit and give off some moisture. Continue to add balsamic to taste but be careful not to add too much. That stuff can be very overpowering. In the end, you want the cabbage to be soft. The leeks don’t take long to cook and the apples are just fine a little firm (if that’s how you want it). When I made it, I let the apples break down completely. The apple mush integrated with the cabbage and balsamic giving it all a really nice sweet flavor. The leeks add that great bit of savoriness to balance it out.

If you wanted this dish to be even sweeter, add some brown sugar. It would be delicious! I wanted to keep it healthy, so I went without it.

You can make this ahead of time and serve it either hot or cold.

Chicken Breasts with Sage and Lemon Pan Sauce

(Two servings)

• Two chicken breasts cut into chunks
• Fresh sage
• one lemon
• one clove of garlic — crushed or minced
• flour
• salt and pepper
• chicken stock
• olive oil
• pasta

Cook the pasta. Chop the sage and zest the lemon. Put approximately 1/4 cup of flour on a plate and add about half of the sage, half of the lemon zest, some salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour — just get it coated, not caked. Be sure you’re picking up the sage and lemon zest!

Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken — no need to cook through just yet. Once both sides are browned, add the chicken stock until the breasts are at least covered half-way. Squeeze half of the lemon over the chicken. If you can cover the pan, do that now and reduce the heat just a bit. If you don’t have a lid, no problem. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Some of the stock will evaporate so just keep an eye on it and add more stock if necessary. After about 5-7 minutes, flip the chicken. Squeeze the other half of the lemon over the chicken.

Once the chicken is cooked through — about 10-12 minutes of cooking — remove it from the pan. Add 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of chicken stock to the pan. Add the remaining sage, lemon zest, and minced garlic. Add a few pinches of flour to thicken the sauce. Stir and be sure to get all those chicken bits off the bottom of the pan. Let it simmer for a couple minutes until it begins to thicken.

Pour some of the sauce over the pasta and toss. Spoon the rest of the sauce over the chicken breasts.

Dredging the chicken in flour holds in the moisture. Between that and braising it in the stock, this is incredibly moist and flavorful.

This was a terrific meal all around! Loads of flavor and very light.