Title: Braised red cabbage with chestnuts and red wine (tuscan)
 Categories: Tuscan, *new-acq, Cabbage, Chestnuts, Mcrecipe
      Yield: 6 Servings
 
      2 oz Dried porcini mushrooms;
           -soaked
      3 tb Extra-virgin olive oil
      1 md Onion; minced
  2 1/2 lb Red cabbage 1-medium; cored
           -and shredded
  1 1/2 c  Dry red wine
  1 1/2 c  Vegetable broth
      2 tb Red wine vinegar
    1/4 ts Freshly grated nutmeg
    1/2 ts Salt
           Freshly ground black pepper
      2 lb Chestnuts; parboiled
 
  1. CHESTNUTS: Parboil for ten minutes, and remove the outer and inner
  skins. Soak the MUSHROOMS in warm water for 1 hour. Reserving the
  liquid, drain, rinse, squeeze "dry" and mince the mushrooms. Filter
  the liquid and set aside.
  
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  
  3. In a heavy 3-quart oven dish that has a tightly fitting cover,
  heat the oil and saute the mushrooms and onion for 5 minutes over low
  heat, stirring frequently until the onions are soft and buttery. Stir
  in the cabbage and Cook for 10 minutes.
  
  Add the wine, broth, vinegar, nutmeg, salt, and a generous grinding of
  peper. Cover and place in the oven for 2 hours. Make sure that the
  liquids are not cooking too fast; if so, add more broth.
  
  4. Gently stir in the chestnuts and cook, covered, for another hour or
  until the cabbage is tender and most of the liquid absorbed. Adjust
  seasoning and serve.
  
  SERVES 6, after 4-1/4 hours, easy. mc-PER SERVING 23% cff: 457cals;
  11g fat
  
  MAKE AHEAD: Chestnuts can be skinned 1 day in advance. There are
  several different kinds of chestnuts (Castanea), at least three of
  which have edible fruits as fruit or vegetable, as well as in the
  form of ground flour from which they make cakes, bread, polenta, and
  crepes.
  
  TIP : Chestnuts are available from October through January. Chestnuts
  should be firm, smooth, full, shiny and vividly brown. To prepare for
  this recipe: make a cross on the flat side of each nut with a sharp
  knife. Roast, boil, or bake until flesh is tender. To peel, parboil
  for 10 minutes, remove inner and outer skin.
  
  >"Cavolo in Umido con Vino Rosso e Castagne," from SOLO VERDURA, by
  Anne Bianchi (Ecco, 1997). >Edited by Pat Hanneman 3/98
  
  ANNE-STORY: "True Tuscan connoisseurs (of red cabbage) always wait
  until school children begin wearing their wool uniforms that ... that
  presage the arrival of winter. Small wonder, then, that the following
  recipe so successfully pairs this most colorful of cabbages with the
  seasonal harbinger, chestnuts. To best capture the mood, serve it in
  a decorative earthenware casserole with plenty of sturdy bread to
  soak up the sauce."
  
  SCAN-STORY We "always wait until school children begin wearing their
  wool unison"
  
  NOTES : Other ways to use chestnuts: Fresh chestnuts can be boiled,
  roasted (stovetop or oven), or grilled (Place in aluminum foil
  packets). Chestnut meats can be combined with vegetable broth and
  baked until soft, then blended with bechamel and served as a side
  dish. Dried chestnuts can be boiled until soft, pureed and plated
  with sauteed greens. Recipe