My neighbor, Billy brought me a beautiful head of Green Lunar Cabbage from his garden.  Then, while I was shopping at my local Bastrop, HEB grocery store I saw a package of beet ravioli imported form Italy.  These two ingredients inspired this recipe.  So here it is.

Ingredients:

• Green Lunar Cabbage–1/2 head
• Beet Ravioli–one 9 0z package
• Frozen Peas–8 ounces
• Sage–leaves from one sprig
• Garlic–4 cloves
• Shallot–1 large
• Ghee–2 teaspoons
• Olive oil–2 teaspoons
• Red wine–1/2 cup (use a light red such as a Pinot Noir.  I used a Texas red that was a blend of Malbec, Mourvedre and Petit Syrah.  Use the same wine that you are going to drink with the meal.  This will make the dish pair well with the wine.)
• Grated or flaked cheese–3 ounces ( I used a mixture of Parmesan, Romano and Asiago flakes.)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Prep:

• Chop the cabbage
• Mince the garlic and shallot
• Remove the sage leaves from the stem

Cooking the cabbage:  NOTE–WHILE THE CABBAGE IS COOKING BRING WATER TO BOIL IN A PASTA POT

• Coat a heavy duty stainless steel skillet with the olive oil
• Add the shallots, garlic, sage leaves and ghee
• Sauté till lightly brown

• Add cabbage with a bit of salt and pepper
• Sauté until the cabbage is slightly caramelized
• Deglaze pan with 1/2 cup of red wine
• Add the peas and toss them with the cabbage
• Add more salt and pepper to taste. Cover with a lid and turn off the heat.  Let sit while you cook the pasta

Cooking the pasta:

• Add a generous amount of salt to the pasta water.  It should taste like the ocean.
• Place the beet ravioli in the boiling water
• When the ravioli float to the surface they will be ready to add to the cabbage (for fresh pasta this takes only 3 minutes)

• Drain the pasta and add it to the cabbage
• Toss the ravioli into the cabbage gently
• Add 1/2 the cheese
• Replace the lid and let sit for two minutes so that the cheese melts and the ravioli finishes cooking

Plate the dish onto a platter.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese.  Top with some freshly cracked pepper.  Enjoy it with a glass of the same wine you used to deglaze the cabbage.

My dad is staying with us this month.  This was today’s Meatless Monday meal.  It was a heartwarming and satisfying family meal.  My mom was a vegetarian her whole life.  I said to dad that I think she would have liked this dish.  My dad replied:  “She would have LOVED it”.  I felt like she was with us.

When you make it let me know how it turns out.