Pasta with Cabbage, Sage and Sausage and Walking the Dog

I just heard our pointy-nose, German dog struggle up the stairs.  Time to come up and nap in the warm office.  She has arthritis in her back hips and, on these damp days, the stairs are a challenge.

Six years ago her vet in Andorra told us she shouldn't be allowed to go up stairs and that we had to stop taking her for walks in the mountains.  We thought about it....and decided it would be kinder to just have her put down and be done with it. 

Sedi loved her mountain walks.  As soon as she saw the backpacks she started to spin in circles in excitement.  After the first few walks we had to carry her into the house and she slept for 2 days straight, but she eventually got in shape...as did we humans.

Of course she walked further than we did.  I was normally in the lead, which meant that she had to be in front of me.  Mon mari was normally in the back, which meant that she had to constantly run back and check on him.  She is a shepherd, after all and it was hard work keeping our group together!

That's when I learned that dogs can't always go where humans can.  Oh I knew they couldn't go up ladders (that old 'lack of opposable thumb' bit) but I assumed they'd be able to navigate mountains and streams.

Not true!

Dogs can't climb.  On one walk we had to cross a large section of boulders about the size of cars.  Sedi couldn't do it, even with help.  She tried to follow me; oh how she tried.  Front paws just don't have the gripping power of arms.  Mon mari finally had to put her on a lead and take her back down.
Poor thing.  He had to spend the rest of the morning sitting on a terrace at a mountain-side cafe,  drinking coffee and reading; Sedi napping in the sun!

Dogs can't hop.  Crossing streams normally wasn't a problem.  While we humans hopped from rock to rock to get across and keep our feet dry, Sedi just waded through.   But on one fine spring walk the rocks we were hopping across had an icy, cold, snow-melt lake on one side and a waterfall on the other. 
No place for a dog to walk.  Where a human can stand on one leg while trying to figure out where to step next, a dog can't.  Try picturing a dog with 3 paws on a rock the size of a teacup...

We had to get her across.  We couldn't really go back the way we had come - going up was fine but it was too slippery to go down.  (Another thing I learned walking in the mountains: going up is hard; going down is scary!) 
I was on the opposite bank coaxing and poor Sedi was spinning and barking; afraid to go in the swirling water.  Finally all of the humans lined up on the rocks, got secure footing, and mon mari shoved her in the water.  Grabbing onto her collar and forcing her to swim, the humans handed her off to each other until she reached the other side, holding on so she wouldn't get loose and/or go over the waterfall.  She thought it was great fun!

And the vet thought we should make her stay home....that would have been mean!

Our mountain walks were usually interesting; sometimes challenging, sometimes not; sometimes short (3 hours) sometimes not (6 hours).  One thing remained a constant: whatever we had for dinner that night was always fantastic!  The best meal of the week!  Fresh air, exercise and hunger can do that!

And pasta is always perfect!

This week we are in the midst of another Cabbage Commitment.  More recipes to follow, but to start, for Presto Pasta Nights, founded and hosted by the clever Ruth, of Once Upon A Feast, I have one of our long-time favorite winter pasta dishes.  The origins are lost in the mists of time....

But the flavors: sage, sausage, cabbage, yum! (she says, modestly).

Pasta with Cabbage, Sage and Sausage

8 - 10 oz sausages, pork, turkey...
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
2 cups shredded cabbage
2 tbs dried sage
or 15 - 18 fresh sage leaves 
1 tbs paprika
1 tbs olive oil
1 can whole tomatoes, 15 oz (450 gr)
1 tsp Balsamic vinegar
1 1/4 cup pasta - penne, rigatoni, fusilli

Cook pasta according to package instructions.
Chop onion and garlic.  Shred cabbage.  Roughly chop tomatoes - reserving all juice.  Slice sausages into 1/2" (1.25cm) pieces.  Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add paprika and sauté 1 minute.  Add onion, garlic and cabbage and sauté 10 minutes or until starting to get tender.  Add sausage and sage and sauté 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes and their juices, turn heat to low and simmer 20 minutes or until cabbage is done.  Stir in vinegar.  Add pasta.  Toss to mix well and serve.

(Isn't that a gorgeous bowl?  Chris, of Mele Cotte surprised me with a marvelous package of goodies... and this beautiful dish.  Mille merci, encore, Chris)

Emma (big white dog on a diet) is also regretting the lack of an opposable thumb.  She knows where the dog food is stored, right next to her dish, actually.  She watches me unlatch it every night.  She watches me latch it.  She cries....

Comments

[Lucy Vanel]

What a great story. When we are on the hiking trails we are always kind of envious of the people who've brought their dogs... The sheer pleasure these animals get out of being up there in the grandeur of nature is so touching and such a great gift to a dog. It's funny how our pets tough it out and never complain. We have an old old cat - it took years to get her used to spending summer vacations on the Riviera, but she's got the hang of it now. Great recipe too!

[Deb]

What a wonderful fall pasta dish! I have been craving cabbage and have a ton of sage in my containers, so, there ya go! Sounds like dinner tonight to me!
Dogs are such companions!

[sandi @ the whistlestop cafe]

We have an old princess (who looks like a cocker spaniel~ but that would make her a dog and not a princess). The vet told us just this week that she needs to not be jumping on furniture or climbing stairs. It is a good thing she is deaf, because she would hate to think she couldn't get onto her leather couch.
She would never consider hiking!

[Wendy]

I do love a good dog story. :) Sedi sounds like a trooper!
My parents took Rosie up the hills recently and had a similar problem. See the following picture for the solution:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/teach77/1988227814/

[Shayne]

The bowl is gorgeous, the recipe sound delicious, the photo beautiful, but I want to go for the walk with the dog.

[Jeni]

The pasta dish looks great.
I am so jealous of your descriptions of your mountain walks. Oh, how I wish I lived in nature like that. You know we have two German Shepherd's, but I have to tell you that one of them LOVES to climb and run down boulders. There are boulders the size of houses in Joshua Tree National Park in California, and our female scared us to death the first time we took her there as she effortlessly scaled up to the top of one and disappeared over the backside - running down an almost vertical drop of at least 30 feet! She is quite the acrobat. Our male, unfortunately, is like yours, with bad hips, but he tries.
Thanks for the stories!

[Katie]

Lucy, there was no way that I could deny our dogs the walks. Even now, we just go on small ones in the morning, but if I'm late, they both come to get me!

Deb, I love cabbage, too... but they're so big!

Sandi, leather couches go well with royalty! My Sedi has her bed next to mine and would never give it up. Emma has her own room!

Wendy, cute picture - fine for Rosie. I don't think Sedi would accept it.... She hates being picked up (like at the vet's)

Shayne, they both will happily walk with you! And show you all the best stuff!

Jeni, I really miss walking in the mountains. It's so flat where we are now. Emma used to be like your female - going straight up and down rock faces. Then she got fat ;-)

[MyKitchenInHalfCups]

Dogs with spirit are so fantastic; you were oh so right Katie to take Sedi with you on all those walks. Those who live use their minds and their bodies.
The pasta and it's bowl look marvie!

[Kevin]

Looks good. Sausage and pasta is always good, throw in a bunch of sage and it gets even better.

[Betty C.]

Yesterday it was tourte au chou for us -- I've also tried pasta with cabbage and was pleasantly surprised. Somehow it hadn't appealed to me at first.
Have a good day!

[Katie]

Tanna, She just takes her job (guarding us) sooo seriously! If only I could teach her to protect me from centipedes...

Kevin, sausage and were meant for each other!

Thanks, Betty - you, too! (Using up a cabbage can be a challenge)

[joey]

Your dogs have such personality! You are a wonderful human to have :)

That pasta sounds delish...I love cabbage and will eat it with anything...especially if you throw in some sausage...and a nice dish ;)

[Nut.Ella]

What a wonderful story! Good thing you didn't listen to the vet's "recommendation." :)

[Toni]

I love your dog and I love your story of your mountain hikes! When I lived in New Mexico, we had a dog who loved to go for hikes with me, but we never needed to cross icy streams with waterfalls, and never asked her to boulder hop!

And of course, there's always the reward of a meal at the end. And yes, it's always the best one - seasoned with fresh air and used muscles! Recipe looks great!

[Lydia]

Wonderful post! Your dog is lucky to live with people who understand that living life is more important than living to be old -- and what is life without walks, and stairs, and an occasional stream to be crossed?

[Katie]

Joey, thanks, I'll give the girls an extra cuddle for you!

Nut.Ella, I agree, that would have been so cruel, and she wouldn't have understood why..

Toni, the first time we came to a stream and I watched this sweet little old lady with tons of gold jewelry skip across - I knew I had to suck it up and keep up...

Lydia, absolutely right - it's meant to be lived!

[neil]

I used to live with friends who had a shepard since a pup, and eventually it got arthritis and could no longer even walk. It was the saddest day when the local vet came for a visit...

I'm like kevin, cabbage and pasta somehow doesn't sound right. But what's life without mountain walks and taking chances?

[Kelly Mahoney]

It's always sad to put an animal down, but sometimes it's better than living a limited or immobilized life in pain. You are much braver than me though -- I cried when my baby turtle died two years ago.

Great recipe as well, good for the cooler months.

[tigerfish]

Such a complete pasta meal - carbo, proteins, with the veg....:)

[Valli]

Thank you for sharing your family story. Moving to this condo has meant no pets of any kind. It would be nice to have a dog companion on the hiking trails here. This time of year a dog would sense a bear or a cougar long before we would. The pasta dish also looks very comforting after a day of hiking the mountains!!!

[Katie]

Neil, it doesn't sound right...but it is. You just need a longer walk in the mountain to properly appreciate it! I'm dreading that sad day.

Kelly, as I said, I dread the day...but she's a determined bitch, er, I mean girl dog!

tigerfish, and good even without the pig!

Valli, bears and cougars? You definitely should have a dog. Maybe you could walk them for your local shelter. In Andorra, they were always looking for dog walkers...

[Ruth]

Great dish, thanks for sharing it with Presto Pasta Nights.

by the way, I do enjoy your canine adventures.

[Katie]

Ruth, it's a pleasure, as always. I'll tell the girls ;-)

[Chris]

I, too, love your puppy stories. And...Wow! The dish looks great! SOrry it took me so long to read this post. The pasta looks beautiful in the "leaf".

[Katie]

Chris, pets are very good at supplying stories...usually funny, at least, to us humans!