Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

A healthy vegetable dish with a satisfying and rich flavor

I have prepared this dish for many years—and it is a staple winter vegetable in my house. It goes well with any kind of potato, polenta, and the flavors improve with age. It is a great side dish for the holidays and any other meal. It is also an everyday vegetable that can be eaten any time of day. Personally, I love it on a buttered slice of bread. This is the first time I have written down the recipe and it always tastes a little different. There are guidelines that I follow that come from my godmother in Germany.  For the sweetener, she uses sugar, but I use my homemade jams or jellies (red currant jelly is my favorite). I add some additional spices like peppercorns, whole cloves and a bay leaf. My godmother uses goose or duck fat to sauté the onions and cabbage, which gives it a wonderfully rich flavor.

The amount of jam varies depending on it sweetness. Remove the bay leaf after the cabbage is cooked. I If you like to remove the spices after the cabbage has been cooked tie them into a cheese-clothes and remove them before you serve the cabbage. I chop the onions and the red cabbage into quarter inch pieces. My sister in law chops the cabbage very fine and her red cabbage tastes very good.

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 Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil 
½  cup chopped red onions
1 head red cabbage (6-8 cups) chopped 
2-3 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/3 cup jam or jelly
1/4 cup (or less) vinegar (apple cider or other) 
3 whole cloves 
3 whole peppercorns 
1/2 tsp. salt
Freshly ground pepper (more if you omit the peppercorns)

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large pot. Add onions and cabbage and sauté for several minutes. Add about 1 cup water, and bring to a boil. Add the rest of the ingredients, reduce heat and simmer covered for about 30 minutes, stirring often. I frequently prepare this dish ahead of time. It is easy to reheat and the flavors seem to improve with age.


Guten Appetit 
recipe by ©sunnycovechef.com