Braised Red Cabbage

Straight from my Godmother's kitchen.

Braised red cabbage isn’t everyone's cup of tea. It’s not a typical vegetable dish on our North American menus. Once you try it, I’m sure you will love it. It’s perfect on a cold winter day.  Red cabbage is part of my German heritage. My godmother, Renate, always served red cabbage alongside her famous rouladen. It is a nice balance to heavier meats such as any kind of roast pork or a Christmas goose or duck. I don’t think there are any rules of when and how to serve red cabbage. It is delicious alongside a lentil dish, roasted tofu, or grilled salmon. It is colourful on the plate and so tasty. 

Cabbage anyway

I love any kind of cabbage raw in salads, braised with onions, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli among others. Brussels sprout and apple salad, caesar salad made with napa cabbage, red and green cabbage slaw. Cabbage is a nutritious food, containing lots of vitamins and minerals to keep bones healthy, and they are all good for our immune system. My mom sometimes used to drink the cabbage water after cooking or use it as a base for other soups. When cooked, cabbage absorbs spices and aromatics well in long braising.

One of my favourite ways to cook green cabbage (which is Shawn’s favourite) is to quarter a yellow cooking onion or two, cook the onion very slowly in half butter half olive oil - about 1 tablespoon each - cover and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes being careful not to brown the onion. Then add a half head of cabbage cut into large chunks, a small ¼ cup of white wine, salt and cover again, braising for about 1 hour. This is delicious and easy, it just takes cooking time. Making red cabbage similar to this kind of preparation.