Cabbage and clams au vin
One of the cheapest vegetables at the supermarket is probably cabbage. Cabbage can be heavenly when it's in season, especially in the spring. Having a cabbage dish on hand is also pretty convenient, since you can serve it as a side with your main meal, you can put it in your lunch box, and you can use it as a topping for spaghetti. Cabbage may be humble but it packs a hefty punch of vitamins and is good for you (but you knew that!).
I use cabbage in a dish that's easy and cheap to make but still feels somewhat highfalutin: cabbage and clams stewed in a wine(-ish) sauce.
1.First cut up the cabbage into manageable chunks to wash. This is easiest if you soak the cabbage.
Just chop it up! It fits better in my tiny sink tub that way.
Just soak the cabbage in this state.
2.While the cabbage is soaking, prepare the clams.
You can use canned, frozen, or fresh clams--whatever you can get easily is OK. As long as you watch out for food poisoning, it doesn't really matter what sort of packaging the clams come in.
Start to stew them with cooking wine, black pepper, garlic, and water. I never add salt to seafood, since it usually still has sea salt in it already.
3.Add the cabbage.
Just pile it up on top.
Force the lid on if necessary and stew.
4.When the cabbage starts to soften you know it's done.
This is the finished product. It's hard to beat this dish for being cheap and easy while still letting me pretend it's fancy!