Buttery Cabbage Lasagna

Adapted from Blue Ginger: East Meets West Cooking with Ming Tsai
Like an exploded wonton, if wontons were ever this good.
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped garlic
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
  • ½ lbs ground pork (local and humanely raised is best, such as Brown Boar Farm), optional
  • 3 cups green cabbage, cut into 1/4-inch or smaller shreds
  • 3 cups napa cabbage, cut into 1/4-inch shreds
  • ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock or water
  • 1 – 2 tbsp butter
  • kosher or sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp Asian hot sauce, such as Sriracha
  • 8 wonton wrappers, or 4” squares of fresh pasta

Instructions
 

  • Set a large pot of salted water over high heat.
  • Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat. Add the oil, and when it’s hot (the surface will shimmer), add garlic, ginger, and fresh pork, if using. Stir, breaking up the pork, about 2 minutes.
  • Add cabbage shreds, stir to distribute seasonings through the vegetables, and add the stock. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in butter and season to taste with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Keep warm.
  • Drop the wonton wrappers or pasta sheets into the boiling water and cook until just tender, about 4 minutes or less. Drain them well.
  • Now construct each free-form lasagna on individual warmed plates. Start with a heaping tablespoon of the cabbage on each plate, then top with a pasta square or wrapper. Make another layer of each, top with a final spoonful of cabbage, and serve immediately.