In reply to Chris Harris:
Drunken cabbage
Cabbage has never been as handsomely dressed as with this medley of fruit, spices and full-bodied red. It goes really well with rich meats such as pork or duck. Make a big batch and freeze any left over.
Serves 8-10
1 red cabbage ( approx 1.4kg), quartered and shredded, root stem discarded
100g dark muscovado sugar
5 star anise
1 tbsp Chinese five spice
1 bottle fruity, intense red wine
3 tbsp cider vinegar
A good pinch of sea salt and black pepper
3 eating apples (such as braeburns)
3 clementines
1 small bunch of curly parsley
1 Put the cabbage in a heavy-based pot and pour the red wine over it. Add the sugar, anise, Chinese five spice, vinegar, salt and pepper to the pot of cabbage. Grate the apples and add to the pot. Halve the clementines and squeeze the juice into the pot. Throw the peel into the pot as well. Give all the ingredients a really good stir so everything gets amalgamated. Cover the pot with a lid and leave in the fridge overnight.
2 The next day pull the pot out of the fridge, fish out the clementine peel and star anise and discard. Put the pot on the stove top and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low and cover the pot with a lid. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring it occasionally. If it gets a little dry, add a little water.
3 When you’re ready to eat, transfer to a serving dish, chop the curly parsley and sprinkle it liberally over the top.