So I’m from Pennsylvania which means, besides a ton of German people, we have a lot of people of Eastern European descent and I am no exception. My grandmother was Hungarian and made a lot of tasty things like goulash and halupkis. Nowadays, with my grandmother gone, and since I haven’t mastered these things I flock to churches in my area to get these awesome dishes.

One recipe, however, I have mastered – cabbage and noodles. Halushki for us Hungarians. Now I used to roll my eyes a lot when my grandmother used to say “oh enough of that until it looks good,” but that’s sort of how this recipe is. I will include measurements, but you can add more or less depending on what you’ve got and how many people you are cooking for. It’s pretty hard to screw this up – trust me.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium or large head of green cabbage, coarsely chopped into reasonably bite-sized pieces (avoid the hard white center which is too tough)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter (you can have less and add more olive oil to make it a little healthier, but don’t skip the butter altogether)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (onion powder will work too, though not as tasty)
• 1-2 garlic cloves minced (again you can substitute garlic powder)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 bag of wide egg noodles (or less if you have a smaller head of cabbage)

Put the chopped cabbage, onion, garlic, olive oil and butter into a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid. Stir so that the cabbage is coated in the oil/butter mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook it covered on medium heat until the cabbage becomes soft and translucent – about 15 minutes. Be careful to stir occasionally so that the cabbage does not burn, add some water if necessary.

Cook your egg noodles in a separate pot of boiling water. Keep a watchful eye – they cook quicker than other types of noodles! When tender, yet firm add the noodles to cabbage and mix it. That’s it. You’re done. This serves four.

We eat this meal probably twice a month because it is easy, hearty and inexpensive. It’s also one of those meals where the leftovers are better than the original meal. True Hungarians may want to add a half teaspoon of paprika to the cabbage when cooking, but it’s not necessary. Enjoy.