German Red Cabbage Recipe

How to make traditional German red cabbage, the perfect side dish recipe to go with goulash, roast beef, goose or duck.

Ingredients

Red cabbage:

• One small to medium cabbage, weighing more or less 1 kg/ 2.2 lbs.
• However, if it is larger and you want to use it all, increase the amounts of the other ingredients accordingly and freeze the cooked leftovers.

Apples:

• Peel and chop one or two tangy apples, depending on size.
• They will overcook in the stew and kind of disintegrate, covering the cabbage with a film of squishy apples as well.
• About 130 g/ 4.5 oz/ 1/2 cup applesauce can be used instead.
• Bought apple sauce is perfectly fine, just make sure that you buy an unsweetened or very slightly sweetened sauce.

Spices:

The spices are an important part of this recipe. I have had red cabbage spiced with only salt and pepper and it was really not impressive. You will need these condiments to make the cabbage really good:

• Bay Leaves
• Allspice
• Juniper berries
• Cloves

Red wine:

• You don’t have to go for expensive wine here, but don’t buy the cheapest one either.
• Low to the mid-price category, I would say, something you would also drink and not use only for cooking.

Tips

• The only thing that requires a bit of dedication is chopping the cabbage. Once you’ve done that, there is not much for you to do anymore.
• Make sure that it is finely chopped and that the apples are peeled. The peel would remain tougher than the rest and that would be a distraction in this particular recipe.
• Let the brown sugar caramelize nicely, but pay attention and don’t let it burns. If it burns, start over again, as you will not like the bitterness.
• Once you have caramelized the sugar and added the chopped cabbage, stir very often for the first five minutes, before adding the wine. This will prevent the sugar from catching and will ensure that the red cabbage is braised all over and coated with the sugar.
• Add the remaining ingredients, turn the heat down and simmer the cabbage for 1 hour or until soft.
• Stir from time to time and if you have the feeling that the cabbage is too dry, add a splash of red wine.
• I don’t often need to do that, I think it has a lot to do with the tightness of the lid you are using.
• Adjust the taste properly. Check for salt and pepper and for more sweetness or sourness. Add a pinch of sugar and a little red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar to taste.
• The German red cabbage needs to be flavorful. As mentioned above, plain boring red cabbage is not a joy.

Ingredients

• ▢2 lbs red cabbage
• ▢1 tablespoon butter
• ▢2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ▢2 apples ,about 7 oz/ 200 g
• ▢3 bay leaves
• ▢1/4 teaspoon allspice
• ▢5 juniper berries
• ▢3 cloves
• ▢1 cup red wine
• ▢2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• ▢a pinch of sugar to taste
• ▢fine sea salt and pepper

Instructions

• Prepare: Shred the red cabbage very finely. Peel and cut the apples into small cubes.
• Caramelize: Melt the butter in a large pan. Sprinkle the sugar in the pot and let it caramelize, about 1-2 minutes.
• Saute: Add the red cabbage and apples and sautee lightly for about 5 minutes while stirring quite often. Add the spices, wine, and vinegar. Add about ½ teaspoon salt.
• Simmer: Cover the pot, turn down the heat, and let the cabbage simmer for 1 hour. Stir from time to time and add more red wine if necessary (I didn’t need to, but keep an eye on the pot, it should not get too dry).
• Adjust the taste with salt and pepper and some more sugar and vinegar, if necessary.