Braised Red Cabbage

This is my favourite recipe for red cabbage. The colour is amazing and it freezes well. It takes a while to make but is well worth it.

A medium cabbage makes six good-sized side servings. Most of the ingredients are interchangeable so don't worry about substituting them. For the spices, think Christmas and mulled wine - cinnamon and nutmeg.

Ingredients:

• 1 red cabbage
• 1 - 2 red onions (or white onions/shallots)
• 1 cooking apple or other fruit (optional)
• Sultanas/Raisins (optional)
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 - 2 pints of vegetable stock
• 1 oz butter
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• Spices: ground cinnamon, allspice, caraway seeds, dried thyme...
• Salt & pepper

Method:

• Core and roughly slice the cabbage. I also discard the thicker stems but you can slice them thinly and add them if you want. Melt the butter and sugar in a large frying on a low heat and add the cabbage and thinly sliced onions, stirring well to coat.
• Add the vinegar, seasoning and spices. Add ½ litre of stock and leave to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is soft - around an hour.
• Dice the apple and add it to the cabbage along with a handful of dried fruit. Add more stock and simmer for another half an hour or until the apple is soft. There should be a little liquid left.
• Serve immediately as an accompaniment or cool and freeze in portion-sized batches.

Click to see photo

First chop your cabbage...

Submitted by Jane, plot 9