Braised Red Cabbage

When the weather is cold outside, I like to make German-style braised red cabbage and serve it with roast duck or pork chops and sausages.  It is easy and inexpensive to make. Plus, its sweet and sour taste adds a homey, old-fashioned, ethnic touch to your dinner. For this one, I used leftover goose fat from a friend’s Christmas dinner for sautéing the onions, carrots, and apples. It added a subtle richness to the dish. Duck fat or Extra-virgin olive oil does the trick too. When I make this dish, I use slightly  less vinegar and honey than normally called for as otherwise, it makes finding an appropriate wine difficult. 

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons goose fat (or duck fat or Extra-virgin olive olive)

½ cup coarsely chopped red onion

½ cup coarsely chopped leeks, white part only

2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 cloves, garlic, finely minced

1 red cabbage, about 1 ½ pounds, trimmed of tough outer leaves, cored, and cut into thin, julienne slices

1 apple, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped

¾ cup chicken broth, preferably homemade

¾ cup dry, white or red wine

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 Tablespoon honey

3 whole cloves

1 stick cinnamon

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Cooking instructions:

1.        Melt fat in a heavy, large skillet or Dutch oven over a medium heat.

2.       Sauté onions, leeks, and carrots for five minutes to caramelize them.

3.       Add garlic and thin slices of red cabbage, mix together, and sauté for two minutes.

4.       Add the apple, broth, wine, vinegar, and honey. Blend well.

5.       Season with salt and pepper.

6.       Top with cloves and cinnamon stick and cook, covered, on the stove over a low heat for an hour . Stir periodically.

7.       Do not allow all the liquid to be absorbed.  Add water, if necessary.

8.       Allow the cabbage to sit for at least 30 minutes before reheating and serving. Even better, make the night before and reheat.

Serves:6-8

Wine recommendation: Syrah, Zinfandel, Gamay, Malbec, or Blaufränkisch.