Red Cabbage with Apple
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Red cabbage with apple braised in plenty of onions and garlic and infused with fennel, juniper, bay leaves and cinnamon.
Serves:6 people
Equipment
- 1 heavy-based saucepan with a lid
Ingredients
- 1 1 -1.5 k (approx) red cabbage finely sliced
- 2 onions finely sliced
- 3 cloves garlic (finely sliced)
- 1 small onion left whole
- olive oil
- 25 g butter
- small handful celery leaves - roughly chopped optional
- pinch powdered fennel optional
- 3 juniper berries - semi crushed
- 1 stick cinnamon
- pinch cardamom optional
- 5 cloves
- 1 bay leaf - lightly snapped to release flavour
- 2 apples grated (keep juice!)
- 200 ml apple juice or stock of your choice
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp date syrup or scant tbsp soft brown sugar or ½ tbsp honey
- 1-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp salt
- freshly ground pepper
- fresh parsley to serve
Instructions
- Melt the butter and olive oil in the pan with a generous grinding of black pepper. Add the onions, garlic, celery and the small onion studded with cloves. Add all the spices.
- Once the onions are translucent, add the cabbage, toss it well and coat it in the oil. Cook for a few minutes, and then add the apple.
- Cook for another 10 minutes, and add half the apple juice. Add the balsamic and date syrup and cook for another few minutes adding the remaining apple juice as the liquid gets absorbed. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until the cabbage is soft and tasty but not OVERCOOKED!
- You can add the juice all at once, but you want to braise, not boil, the cabbage, so it is better to add slowly. Keep an eye on it, so it doesn't burn. Keep it on the lowest heat possible and cover it with the lid slightly ajar.
- You can replace the apple juice with vegetable or chicken stock.
- If you are freezing, leave it as is, cool and freeze it; if anything, slightly undercook it so you can finish it off on the day of serving. If using it straight away, add the apple cider vinegar and salt to taste.
Notes
As you can see, the fennel and cardamom are optional - you only need a pinch if you do decide to use them.
If you use a slightly larger cabbage, you may need to adjust the seasoning and liquids, but I would wait until halfway through cooking and do a taste test!
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