Halushki

Halushki is a Gallaher family tradition. At our family reunion every year in July, one of my lovely aunts is bound to whip up a crock-pot full of this yummy wonder, and it's always a big hit. Even people who typically scowl at cabbage generally like halushki - must be something about the large quantity of butter that's involved. It's regularly served at the folk festivals that are so prevalent in Western PA during the summertime, and I love wandering around the festivals with my mom and sister, munching on halushki and funnel cakes. Yum.

I wish that I had a "grand finale" photograph of this dish, but alas, I forgot to snap one. Maybe next time.

Ingredients
1 head of cabbage
1 large sweet onion
2 pkgs. of home-style dumplings (you could substitute egg noodles if you can't find dumplings in your local grocer's freezer section)
1 c. butter or margarine
1 t. salt (kosher salt, if you have it)
1/2 t. pepper (or to taste)

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil on the stove. Dice the onion into small pieces, and chop the cabbage into strips about 1x2 inches (it doesn't have to be exact by any means).

2. Melt the butter in a frying pan, and saute the diced onion on medium-low. Meanwhile, drop the cabbage into the boiling water and cover, cooking until it's just tender (about 5 minutes). As the cabbage begins to soften, remove it in batches from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and transfer it to a crock pot.

3. After the cabbage is all cooked, allow the water to come back up to a boil and add the dumplings. Cook them for a few minutes until they're barely done (we're basically just looking to thaw them here...they'll cook more in the crock-pot. If you don't have a few hours to let everything meld together in the crock-pot, give them an extra few minutes in the boiling water). Drain the dumplings and add them to the crock-pot.

4. The onions should be golden and smell awesome at this point. Throw them into the crock-pot as well, and stir everything together. Add salt and pepper to taste, and allow to cook for a few hours (or however long you have) in the crock-pot on low. Be sure to stir every 20 minutes or so, because the sides will cook faster and burned cabbage doesn't smell good.