I made a large pot roast today and thought what to have with it. In the veggie aisle at the market I spotted some great looking heads of red cabbage. I love red cabbage that is made properly. The horrible jarred stuff is sickeningly sweet and tastes nothing like the traditional German recipe. I was lucky to grow up right behind the house where Grandma Schneider watched her grand kids. Her chocolate chip cookies were famous in the neighborhood, but her German dishes were the real stars. The simple side dish of red cabbage would be pared with her home made spaetzle and her beef roulade, or sauerbraten. Grandma was born in Germany and left just before the war, and made it to the U.S. via South America. My mom was clever enough to get this recipe from her while she was still with us.
Ingredients
1 good size head of red cabbage
1 large onion diced
1 diced granny smith apple
1/4 cubed bacon
1/2 cup bacon fat
3 Tbsp. sugar (i use splenda)
1 tbsp. salt
6 whole cloves
3 bay leaves
1/3 cup white vinegar
2/3 cup water
Directions:
1) Remove outer leaves of cabbage and cut into reasonable size pieces (some chiffonade, and some in squares). Pour the water and vinegar on the cabbage and lightly toss. Let it sit for 1/2 hour.
2) Brown the bacon and then the onions in the bacon fat (you may need more bacon fat than the amount rendered, That's why I always save bacon fat).
3) Add all the other ingredients to the cabbage and bacon/onion in a large pot. Cook on medium low for about an hour stirring occasionally. The cabbage will cook down a lot, but this will still provide 6-8 servings. Don't forget to yank the bay leaves prior to serving.
Red cabbage stays well in the fridge for weeks, and is one of those things that actually taste better when re-heated. A lot of German food is anything but light and healthy, but this side dish has little to no carbs. Once you have tried this red cabbage, you will never buy one of those jars again.
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