Cooking red cabbage. Suggestions?

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 Chris Harris 13 Dec 2014
I bought a red cabbage (the type with tight packed leaves, like a red cannonball) on a whim yesterday.
I'm not sure how I've managed to get this far in life without ever having bought one before, but there you go.
I've had a bit of a search round the interweb & a few thoughts emerge:

1. Most recipes suggest braising it with sugar, balsamic vinegar & spices like cinnamon & cloves. Sounds nasty, like vinegary mulled cabbage. Thoughts?

2. Several recipes suggest what seem like remarkably long cooking times. Is it really that tough, or do these recipes deliberately reduce it to mush?

Any (polite) suggestions on what to do with it?
Cheers
Chris


 BusyLizzie 13 Dec 2014
In reply to Chris Harris:

Yes, that recipe is good. Does not come out vinegary. A couple of hours in the oven will do fine, won't be mush. Comes out nice and spicy. I put chopped cooking apples in mine mmmmm...
 Mike Redmayne 13 Dec 2014
In reply to Chris Harris:

I never liked the idea of cooking it with vinegar and stuff like raisins: my reactions was similar to yours (I don't usually like the idea of sweet and sour). But once I tried it, I was sold (Nigel Slater's recipe I think). Try it. Plenty of advice here:
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/dec/12/how-to-make...

Just cooking it like normal cabbage doesn't really work. The only other use for it seems to be coleslaw.
 Pete Houghton 13 Dec 2014
In reply to Mike Redmayne:

If you can stand the thought of having sausages and mash without the onion gravy, red cabbage does very well instead. Fry half an onion per person, sliced, in butter or meat grease for ten minutes or so with a mashed garlic and a single star anise, then add a handful of very-finely-sliced red cabbage per person and continue cooking for a while. Turn up the heat, add half a glass of red wine (or a whole one, whatever, as you wish), boil hard for a few minutes, then add beef stock (or any stock you've got), a spoonful of redcurrant or quince jelly, and a couple of teaspoons of wine or cider vinegar (according to your own tastes).
Let simmer for about 20 minutes, then thicken slightly with cornflour and continue simmering for at least ten minutes (to cook out the flour and get a better consistency). When the sausages are ready, whisk a knob of butter into your cabbage gravy (or don't, if there's already too much butter in the mashed potatoes).
 Tom Valentine 13 Dec 2014
In reply to Mike Redmayne:

Did some last night as for ordinary cabbage. Once well drained, put it back in the pan with a knob of butter and a dollop of balsamic vinegar. heat through and serve.
 j0ntyg 13 Dec 2014
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.
In reply to Chris Harris:

I read somewhere that if you put the vinegar in at the start it makes the cabbage require the ridiculously long cooking time.
 Clarence 14 Dec 2014
In reply to Chris Harris:

Personally I don't use vinegar. I fry off the shredded cabbage with a grated apple for a couple of minutes until it is softening but not browning then put in an oven dish with a knob of butter, a glug of blackcurrant cordial and a shake of nutmeg on top. About an hour in the oven alongside the rest of the dinner usually does the trick. For Christmas I sometimes add a tablespoon of dark brown sugar to make it more of a sauce.
 Bulls Crack 14 Dec 2014
In reply to Chris Harris:

A quicker recipe, but similar in style to those above, is just to shred it and fry with a little butter/oil, cinnamon/nutmeg/5 spice juniper berries black pepper then lid on to steam for a 10 minutes or so
cb294 14 Dec 2014
In reply to Chris Harris:
Recipe 1 is similar to the traditional South German way to cook red cabbage. Don't use too much vinegar and sugar, but don't skimp on juniper berries, cloves, and cinnamon. No raisins, ever!

Perfect with venison and potato dumplings.

1,5 to two hours sounds reasonable, too. Using a pressure cooker will be quicker and works just as well, but you can't check on the cooking progress. Better just taste from time to time until you like the consistency. In some regions they traditionally cook everything to death, at home we used to leave the cabbage quite crisp.

Best cook the cabbage the day before the main meal and reheat just before serving, the rest will improve the taste no end.

CB

edit: Just to add, red cabbage can be used to make a salad as well, simply shred, sprinkle with olive oil, and add salt, pepper, and lemon juice just before serving. Goes well with Mediterranean fish recipes or Gozleme.
Post edited at 18:00
 nufkin 14 Dec 2014
In reply to Chris Harris:

Something quite simple, for any cabbage;

Soften some onions and garlic for a while over a low heat.
Turn heat up a little, add thinly sliced cabbage and fry for a bit, under cover.
Turn heat down again, pour over some cream, mix around for a few minutes till everything's coated, then serve.

Some of the earlier suggestions concerning balsamic vinegar, spices etc might add an extra element
 alan moore 14 Dec 2014
In reply to Chris Harris:

For me it's lightly boil and eat.
Usually do it in a separate pan or the kids want to know why their peas are purple.
 Franco Cookson 14 Dec 2014
In reply to Chris Harris:

saute it with a bit of salty water and a good dose of honey. You want to use as little water as possible with cabbage to avoid destroying it. Make sure it's covered and it'll be reet.
In reply to Chris Harris:

Add it chopped to stir frys and lightly cook. Or make sauerkraut!
OP Chris Harris 14 Dec 2014
In reply to Chris Harris:

Thanks for all the suggestions, plenty to try there.

In the end I tried a bit of a hybrid recipe, based on what I fancied, plus availability of ingredients:

Softened onion, streaky bacon & garlic in olive oil.
Added a glass of red wine, a good glug of balsamic & some brown sugar & brought it all to the boil & let it reduce a bit.
Added the shredded cabbage, stirred to coat & seasoned with salt & pepper.
Simmered gently for an hour, with occasional stirring.

Turned out OK, retained texture & didn't turn to mush.

That said, it should come with a warning:

"Caution: Will turn you, your kitchen, and everything you own, purple".

Especially if the rest of the bottle of wine ended up in the chef.....
 Clarence 14 Dec 2014
In reply to Chris Harris:

I grow beetroot and red cabbage by the barrowful, I gave up on having anything unstained in the kitchen years ago.
cb294 14 Dec 2014
In reply to Chris Harris:

> Especially if the rest of the bottle of wine ended up in the chef.....

Where else? Fuel for the chef is an essential part of the kitchen drill!

CB
In reply to Chris Harris:

Also use in homemade coleslaw with;
(home-made) burgers- [pork is good, shred a bramley or other tart apple onto a small baking tray, add 2 tbs honey, mix, bake 'til caramelised- 30 mins, add to a lb of pork mince, 1/2-1 onion, 1tsp sage, salt, pepper- shape into burgers {cake cutters make for consistent sizing}-breaded if wished) - makes3 or 4.

for the 'slaw, white cabbage, red cabbage,onion (sliced), carrot (shredded), equal amounts- mixed with a little (cider?) vinegar, sugar and salt, then pressed for 1/2 hr to remove xs water. mix with mayo, creme fraiche etc of your choice, season.
Serve as is or on a fresh bun with salad and fries/chips of choice, and ketchup?
 Heike 14 Dec 2014
In reply to Chris Harris:

I don't normally post on food things, but being a German and loving red cabbage, here is my recipe:

Grate the cabbage finely, fry of a diced onion (small diced), one tablespoon of sugar and one finely diced apple, chuck in the cabbage and immediately throw in a couple of tablespoons of vinegar at the most, one might be enough. This is ONLY to maintain the colour, not to make it vinagery (and that's where Brits often go wrong and it get's acidic). Turn to low heat for 10 minutes and continue braising. Then throw in a 1/4 l of water, a clove, a bayleave, a bit of redwine, leave to simmer for 30 min approx, thicken with a wee bit of flower or other thickening agent.

You can also throw in a bit of smoked ham like lardonds at the frying stage, that is also very tasty.

enjoy
mackfras 14 Dec 2014
If you cook half with some vinegar and half with some bicarb of soda you get (proper) red and blue cabbage. Can use the cooking liquid as an acid/alkali indicator solution to entertain the kids for half an hour...

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