Braised Red Cabbage with Apples

I like to freeze two thirds of this to serve 8 on New Year’s Eve and I serve the rest on Christmas Eve as an accompaniment to roast gammon. This is a recipe I have been cooking for years. It’s great because it can be made the day before and gently reheated with no bother.

Serves 12

Braised Red Cabbage with Apples

Ingredients
2 lb (900 g) red cabbage, tough outer leaves removed
1 lb (450 g) Bramley cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped small
1 lb (450 g) onions, chopped small
1 clove garlic, chopped very small
¼ whole nutmeg, freshly grated
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
3 tablespoons dark brown soft sugar
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
½ oz (10 g) butter
salt and freshly milled black pepper
Preheat the oven to gas mark 2, 300°F, 150°C.
Equipment
You will also need a 6-pint (3.5-litre) lidded flameproof casserole.

Method

First, cut the cabbage into quarters and remove the hard stalk. Then shred the rest of the cabbage finely, using your sharpest knife (or you can shred it in a food processor: I prefer to do it by hand; it doesn’t come out so uniform).

Next, arrange a layer of shredded cabbage seasoned with salt and pepper in the casserole, then a layer of chopped apples and onions with a sprinkling of garlic, spices and sugar. Continue with these alternate layers until everything is in.

Now pour in the vinegar and, lastly, add dots of butter on the top. Put a tight-fitting lid on the casserole and let it cook very slowly for 2–4 hours, stirring everything around once or twice during the cooking.

Leave the red cabbage to cool, then freeze two thirds of it for New Year’s Eve, leaving the rest to serve on Christmas Eve if you want to.

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