Braised red cabbage

Ingredients

• 1red cabbage1 medium head, about 2½ lb (1.1 kg)
• 2tart applessuch as Boskop or Granny Smith, peeled, cored and diced
• 1onionfinely chopped
• 30 gunsalted butter2 tbsp
• 60 mlred wine vinegar¼ cup
• 3 tbspbrown sugarpacked
• 240 mlvegetable broth1 cup, or water
• 2bay leaves
• 4whole cloves
• 4juniper berries (optional)lightly crushed
• 1cinnamon stick (optional)small
• 1.5 tspkosher salt
• 0.25 tspblack pepper
• 2 tbspred currant jelly (optional)or lingonberry jam

Steps

1. 1
   

   Prep: pull off any wilted outer leaves, quarter the cabbage through the core, cut out the core and slice it very thinly. Chop the onion. Peel, core and dice the apples. If you like, tie the bay leaves, cloves, juniper and cinnamon in a bit of cheesecloth so they're easy to fish out.

2. 2
   

   Melt the butter in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and cook the onion until soft and just golden, 6 to 8 minutes.

3. 3
   

   Add the cabbage and toss for 3 to 4 minutes, until it starts to wilt and shrink. Pour in the vinegar straight away and toss again.

   💡 The vinegar keeps the cabbage a bright purple-red; without acid it turns blue-grey.

4. 4
   

   Add the apples, brown sugar, broth, salt, pepper and the spices. Bring to a simmer, cover, turn the heat to low and braise for 1 to 1¼ hours, stirring every 20 minutes and adding a splash of water if it looks dry, until the cabbage is very tender but not mushy.

   ⏱ 80 min
5. 5
   

   Uncover, stir in the currant jelly and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until most of the liquid has cooked away and the cabbage looks glossy. Fish out the spices. Taste and balance the sweet and sour.

6. 6
   

   Serve hot. It tastes even better the next day: cool it, refrigerate within 2 hours, and reheat gently with a splash of water.

Make it easier

Dietary versions

Swaps checked for this recipe. In the app, Jude makes them for you once he knows your diet and allergies.

Milk allergy

Instead of unsalted butter: sunflower oil or olive oil

Dairy-free

Instead of unsalted butter: sunflower oil or olive oil

Vegan

Instead of unsalted butter: sunflower oil or olive oil

Checked against

• The Daring Gourmet: Rotkohl (German red cabbage)
• Deutsches Haus: Oma's German red cabbage (Rotkohl)