Red Cabbage with Apples
Submitted by mark454
Braised red cabbage with tart apples, red wine, brown sugar, vinegar, and caraway seeds cooked in bacon drippings. A classic German side, good hot or cold.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
55 minREADY
1 hrsBraised red cabbage with apples is one of those dishes that shows up across German, Dutch, and Scandinavian kitchens because the combination just works. Shredded cabbage wilts in bacon drippings with onion, then simmers in dry red wine until tender, sweet, and deeply purple.
Tart Granny Smith apples go in unpeeled, which is intentional. The skins hold the apple pieces together during the long simmer so they soften without turning to mush. Brown sugar and wine vinegar create that signature sweet-and-sour balance that makes braised red cabbage so addictive.
Caraway seeds are the finishing touch. Just half a teaspoon adds a warm, anise-like fragrance that ties the whole dish to its Central European roots.
Pro Tips
- Soak the shredded cabbage in salted water for 15 minutes before cooking. This seasons it from the inside and helps it wilt more evenly
- Toss the cabbage with two wooden spoons like a salad when it first hits the pan. This coats every strand in fat and starts the wilting process
- Keep the lid slightly askew during the simmer. This lets just enough steam escape to concentrate the flavors without drying things out
- This dish tastes even better the next day. The flavors meld and deepen overnight in the fridge
Variations
- Use butter instead of bacon drippings for a vegetarian version
- Add a cinnamon stick and a few whole cloves during the simmer for a spiced holiday version
- Swap the red wine for apple cider for a more fruit-forward, family-friendly dish
Ingredients
Directions
Discard the outer leaves of a firm, 3-lb red cabbage, and cut it in half.
Shred finely and soak in salted water for 15 minutes.
Drain well.
Heat the bacon fat or butter in a large, heavy skillet and add 1 finely chopped onion.
Cook onion until transparent, about 5 minutes, then add cabbage.
Toss well with two wooden spoons, as you would a salad.
When cabbage starts to wilt, add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and red wine.
Simmer for 5 minutes and then add 2 tart apples, cored and diced, but not peeled.
Sprinkle with brown sugar, and add wine vinegar and caraway seeds.
Cover, with lid slightly askew, and simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes.
It is good hot or cold.
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