Vegetables > Spiced Red Cabbage

Spiced Red Cabbage with Roast Pork, Parsnip, Mash, Apple Sauce

Cabbage is easy to get hold of this time of year. This is a nice way to cook red cabbage. The cooking method can be used with various herbs, spices and flavours in the cooking liquid. It can also be adapted for other cabbages, with different amounts of liquid and length of cooking time.

This recipe is for red cabbage with ginger, apple and nutmeg in a port and wine vinegar sweet and sour glaze. It’s all in one pot, and takes up to an hour to cook slowly followed by a quick simmer to reduce any excess liquid to a syrupy sauce.

This makes a large quantity (using up a whole cabbage) – but it keeps well in the fridge for 5 days. Reheat batches in the microwave for about 5 minutes or in a small pan on a low-medium heat for 5-10 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 red cabbage – shredded (less than 1cm thick strips)

1 red onion – thinly sliced

1 bramley apple or 2 tart smaller cooking apples – cored and sliced finely (no need to peel)

2 inches grated fresh ginger

1/4 of a grated nutmeg (don’t use the pre-grated stuff, it doesn’t provide enough flavour – buy whole nutmegs)

Salt and pepper

Butter and olive oil.

For the cooking liquor:

2 tbsp port

2 tbsp wine vinegar

1 cube frozen home-made chicken stock (or equivalent)

2 tbsp dark brown or muscovado sugar

4-8 tbsp water (as required)

Method:

Heat some butter and oil (roughly equal proportions) in a very large pan (large enough to fit all the shredded cabbage and other ingredients!) – use just enough so that it covers the bottom of the pan well.

Cook the onions on a low-medium heat until they are translucent but not browned, then add the apple and cook for a few minutes, stirring around.

Add the ginger, nutmeg. Stir through and cook for a minute more.

Rinse the red cabbage in a colander so that it is damp, add half of it straight to the hot pan and stir well. Then add the rest of the cabbage.

Add the cooking liquids.

Don’t worry that the liquid doesn’t cover the cabbage, it only has to provide steam for the cooking process. Any extra liquid you add will have to be reduced at the end of the cooking time, so keep it to a minimum. When you stir the dish occasionally during the cooking time you can add a splash or two of water if the pan is drying up.

Season well with pepper and a touch of salt.

Cover and simmer on a medium heat for 10 minutes until the cabbage had wilted. Then stir well to combine.

Turn down the heat and simmer gently for 30-50 minutes (depending how well done you want the cabbage and how thick you cut it), stirring occasionally.

Finally, when the cabbage is cooked remove the lid and turn the heat up to reduce any left over cooking liquor, stirring to coat the cooked cabbage in the thickened glaze.

Spiced Red Cabbage

Enjoy cookalicious cabbage! Great with sausages, roast pork, spicy chicken drumsticks…all kinds of things.

Variations:

Try using cinnamon, cloves, even dried chillies to make a fiery, extra spicy cabbage dish. You can use garlic, leeks or more onions instead of ginger too.

You can use almost any liquid. If you don’t want a sweet and sour effect using vinegar and sugar, just use more stock, water or wine instead.

For a savoy cabbage dish which is great with sausage and mash, try this which uses the basic method above with reduced cooking time and different flavours:

1 savoy cabbage – shredded (as above)

1 onion – finely sliced

1 stalk of celery – finely sliced

3-5 cloves garlic – finely chopped

1 glass white wine

Oil, butter, salt and pepper

Cook the onion slowly in oil and butter, then add celery and finally the garlic – do not brown, cook until soft. Add the cabbage, season with salt and pepper and pour in the wine. Cover and cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes until wilting nicely. Then reduce the heat and cook for up to 20 minutes until the cabbage is soft but not mushy. You may have to remove the lid to reduce any excess liquid in the pan for the last 5-10 minutes.

Garlic Braised Savoy Cabbage