Slow-Braised Red Cabbage

Slow-braised red cabbage is soft and sweetly flavoured however with a hint of  tangy richness from the balsamic vinegar which gives this dish star quality on the table. It's the perfect side dish to serve with many meats and other dishes. We ate it with chorizo flavoured sausages cooked on the BBQ, and a Mixed Bean salad, and the flavours were immense.

 It might sound as if this is a dish which should be limited to comfort eating in Winter climates of the Northern Hemisphere, however please don't pass this recipe by if you live in the Southern Hemisphere. I've mentioned in previous posts how scarce fresh fruit and vegetables have been in North Queensland because of the recent floods. The dilemma continues. The fruit and vegetable shelves are still bare at times, and there are still no eggs, it's like a war zone in the supermarkets, even though some trucks are now getting through as temporary bridges are being constructed, presumably with the help of the Australian Armed Forces. When I saw one remaining whole red cabbage on the shelves at a local fruit and vegetable barn, I bought it, and this recipe is the result. I still have 1/2 a red cabbage leftover to use for salads.

Red Cabbage is one of the most resilient and versatile vegetables I know and I just love the beautiful magenta colour it brings to a plate. It will keep quite fresh for a few weeks in the vegetable crisper in the refrigerator. Granted, a whole red cabbage is big, it will take up more than it's fair share of space, however when the outer leaves are pulled off, the core removed it just fits in. I've given you some more red cabbage recipes at the end of my post, proving just how versatile this vegetable is. 

This red cabbage recipe is very loosely based on one by Jamie Oliver. I've adjusted a few ingredients to suit my tastes. Everyone at home who ate it really loved it. I remember eating this in England when we were living there 20 years ago, and it's taken me this long to make it. Never say never.

Ingredients:

1 large red cabbage, halved, and shredded (I only used half the cabbage)

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 eating apple, peeled cored and chopped into 2.5 cm pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano (fresh equivalent if you have it), or 1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme or rosemary or both combined to make a tablespoon. Adjust to suit your taste. 1 teaspoon of Dried Mixed Herbs would also work.

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

Juice of 1/2 squeezed orange

75 ml balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste.

Method:

Serves 6 adequately as a side dish.

Select a large pot. I used a Dutch oven.

Cooking time 40 minutes

Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage, remove the white core and discard. Cut cabbage into 2  pieces, put one half aside for later,  and slice up the remainder of the cabbage thinly.

Thinly slice the red onion. Add the olive oil to the pan, and cook the onion on a low heat to soften.

Add the apple and cabbage to the pan, cook for another 5 minutes, until slightly softened.

Sprinkle the brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, garlic powder and herbs over the cabbage.

Add the orange juice. 

Give it all a stir to coat the cabbage.

Season with sea salt and ground black pepper to your taste.

Add just a splash of water.

Reduce the heat to low and set to simmer, place the lid on your pot. Check and stir after 20 minutes and add 1-2 tablespoons of water if the mixture looks dry.

Simmer for another 20 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar once the cabbage is almost ready and stir. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

Taste to check that the balance of flavours is right.

Cook's notes:

• 1/2 a large red cabbage is a lot of cabbage, however it does cook down. If you decide to double the ingredients and cook a whole red cabbage you will need a really large saucepan, and you will have enough braised cabbage to feed a large dinner party as a side dish to your main course. Just double all of the other ingredients.
• Please don't skip the vinegar. I love how Balsamic Vinegar gives the dish a deeper flavour, however Red Wine vinegar can also be used.
• Variations to the original recipe can include: adding toasted walnuts or pecans, and raisins. Citrus zest can be used to replace the orange juice, however you will need to add liquid to replace the juice. However I can't see the advantage of replacing the orange juice.
• The flavours will keep improving when stored covered in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
• The cabbage can be reheated in the microwave, or on the stovetop in a saucepan over a medium heat. 

Here are some other Red Cabbage recipes you might like if you have some extra cabbage to use up. After finding these again on my blog, I am reminded that I must make some of these again soon. I only ferment sauerkraut in Winter in our Tropical climate, so that's what I'll be doing.

Red Cabbage Sauerkraut

Red Cabbage, Chickpea, Carrot, and Mint Salad

Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage Salad feeds the masses a la Nigella Lawson

Warm wishes

Pauline