Serves 6 with leftovers
Red cabbage has a sweeter flavour than white cabbage and is a winter favourite in the gingergirl kitchen as it offers endless variety. I like to braise it with a mix of spices and fruit and serve it with goose, pork, duck, venison or serve it warm with pate. Serve the sausages and cabbage with creamy mashed potatoes.
1 ½ kg of red cabbage
2 onions, diced
3 apples (granny smith are good), peeled, cored and diced
The zest of 1 orange
2 teaspoons of mixed spice
100g of soft brown sugar
3 tablespoons of cider vinegar
300ml of cider
A knob of butter
Peel and quarter the cabbage. Remove the tough stem and slice thinly (you can use a food processor for this). Layer a quarter of the cabbage with some of the onions, apples, zest, spice, sugar and seasoning. Continue to layer until all the ingredients have been used up. Add the vinegar and cider and place the butter on top. Cover the saucepan with a lid, bring to the boil then simmer over a low heat for 1 ½ hours or until the cabbage is tender.
This cabbage will keep in the freezer for up to one month so it may be worthwhile making batches of this in advance; especially with Christmas just around the corner.
As I have said, red cabbage is very versitile so feel free to play about with the ingredients. Other spices that work well include fresh ginger, chinese five-spice and cinnamon. You can also replace half the apple with fresh cranberries or sultanas or use port in place of cider.
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