Our Mom's Braised Red Cabbage
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Traditional braised red cabbage that's both striking and simple for effortless entertaining.
by Erin Henderson
If I had to think back over the years to the one dish that has graced every holiday table, it would be my family's braised red cabbage.
Regardless of the time of year, regardless of the occasion, this jewel-toned dish would be among the offerings. I have very fond memories of going to my German Oma's for celebratory lunches, where a dozen of us, more or less, would crowd around her heavy, carved wood dining table, draped in a lacey white table cloth and properly set with her blue and white china and good silver.
The spread could be any combination of rouladen, goulash, bratwurst, or schnitzel, along with potato salad, chicken soup, and sauerkraut. And there would always be long-braised, deeply flavourful, and simply prepared braised red cabbage.
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Of course, my Oma, with the war and depression never far from her memory, was too frugal to ever buy cheesecloth to wrap the whole cloves and herbs for easy removal from the braise, and far too practical to route through the tangled ribbons of cabbage to fish them out. It became a family game to see who would be the unlucky one to crunch down on a whole clove and get a blistering mouthful of intense aromatic flavour.
While I'm not sure of the orgins, this is truly a humble food. Other than time, it doesn't take much by way of ingredients or budget. Cabbage, white vinegar (the commonplace stuff you get for only pennies a litre), white sugar, a few spices, and that's it. For a few bucks you can feed a crowd well – and happily.
Over the years, I've worked with some wonderful chefs, who just can't resist trying to fancify this peasant dish: champagne vinegar, truffle oil, and shocklingly in one case, persimmons... they just can't help themselves. But none of the highfalutin' ingredients makes this braised red cabbage better.
This is the recipe I learned from my mum, who learned it from my Oma, who learned it from her Mutti... and maybe she learned it from hers.
German Style Braised Red Cabbage
This is a perfect recipe for entertaining a large crowd on the holidays. It tastes better when it's made at least a day in advance, ingredients are jaw-droppingly affordable, and the dazzling magenta of the cabbage makes a beautiful addition to the holiday table.
Serves: 10 or more
Chef level: easy
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp bacon fat or olive oil
- 1 large onion, sliced fine
- 2 medium heads red cabbage, sliced
- 1 c. white vinegar
- 1/2 c. white sugar
- salt, to taste
- 4 large dried bay leaves
- 10 peppercorns
- 5 whole cloves
How To Make It:
- Heat fat in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add onions and fry until soft but not coloured, about 5 minutes
- Add sliced cabbage (you may have to do this a bit at a time and let it wilt down depending on the size of your pot)
- When the all cabbage has wilted, add the vinegar, season lightly with salt (as the cabbage wilts down the flavours will intesnify so don't go too heavy at this stage.)
- Tie the bay leaves, peppercorn, and cloves in cheese cloth so you can find it easily later. Drop it in the pot and lower the heat to medium-low. Partially cover the pot, just leaving a crack for a bit of steam to escape, and simmer for about an hour until the cabbage is very soft, but not yet done.
- Add the sugar and cook for another 30 minutes or so.
- Adjust seasoning to your liking adding more sugar, vinegar, or salt as needed.
- Serve immediately or store in the fridge until needed.
- To reheat, simply place over medium-low heat and allow it to get soft and saucy again.
Wine Pairing:
There's a distinct pickle-tang to this braise, which is why it works so well alongside fat laden meats. And if eating it solo, which I doubt many (other than I) do, the mild vinegar bite needs to be taken into account and paired with an equally acidic wine such as Grüner Veltliner or brut Sekt.
However, most of us are likely eating the braised cabbage alongside something rich and fatty like fried schnitzel or stewed goulash. Try a regional pairing like spicy, fruit forward Blaufränkish from Austria, or German Spätburgunder, otherwise known as Pinot Noir.