This Hairy Bikers red cabbage is braised for fifty minutes in cider, vinegar and muscovado sugar until the liquid has gone completely. Half a cabbage feeds four at about 170 calories, and the recipe appears in both British Classics and Meat Feasts.
Two books print it almost identically, which tells you they were happy with it. The only differences are 450g of cabbage against 430g, and a pinch of nutmeg against a quarter teaspoon.
It cooks in two stages under a tight lid. Forty minutes gets the cabbage tender and the pan dry, then the apple goes in for the last ten.
Hairy Bikers Braised Red Cabbage
Description
A cinnamon stick, bay leaf and grated nutmeg go in whole alongside the onion and stay there for the full fifty minutes. Cider, white wine vinegar and muscovado sugar all go in at the start. You are waiting for the pan to go completely dry.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Prepare the cabbage: Remove the tough outer layer and cut out the core. Cut the cabbage in half again, then finely slice down the longer side to give long strands.
- Soften the onion: Heat the butter in a large pan and gently fry the onion until soft but not coloured.
- Add the spices and cabbage: Add the cinnamon stick, nutmeg and bay leaf, followed by the cabbage, cider, vinegar and sugar. Season with salt and pepper.
- Braise it: Stir well, bring the liquid to a simmer and cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid. Cook for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the cabbage is tender.
- Add the apple: Stir in the apple slices, put the lid back on and cook for another 10 minutes, until the cabbage is very tender.
- Serve: Remove the cinnamon stick before serving. It is great with roast pork.
FAQs
Why slice it into long strands?
Because short pieces collapse. Slicing down the longer side of each quarter gives you strands that hold their shape through fifty minutes of braising.
Chop it small and you get something closer to a purée by the end. The strands are also easier to serve, since they lift out of the pan in forkfuls rather than sliding off.
Why does the apple go in at the end?
Because ten minutes is all it needs. An eating apple sliced and stirred in at the start would break down completely over the full time and you would lose it into the cabbage.
Ten minutes softens it while leaving recognisable slices. It also keeps its sweetness, which balances the two tablespoons of vinegar.
Can I make it in a slow cooker?
The recipe is not written for one, and none of their books gives a slow cooker version, so I would not pretend to know the timings.
The thing to understand is why it might not suit. This works by cooking the liquid off completely under a lid, and a slow cooker is designed to trap steam rather than let it escape. If you do try it, use less cider than the 150ml here and take the lid off at the end.
Is there a spiced or sticky version?
There is, and it is the same recipe with more going on. Their spicy red cabbage in Perfect Pies adds two star anise and two tablespoons of redcurrant jelly, which is what makes it sticky, and swaps white wine vinegar for cider vinegar.
That one serves six and cooks for 45 to 50 minutes before the apple goes in. They say it reheats well, which is why it suits Christmas when the hob is busy.
What do I serve it with?
Roast pork, which is what both books suggest. On the site, their gammon in coke is the closest thing, and the honey and mustard glaze suits the sweet and sour cabbage.
It also works with game. Their venison casserole has redcurrant jelly in the sauce, which picks up the same sweetness this cabbage has.
