Red Cabbage and Apples in Red Wine Sauce

Cabbage is not one of those things you find in our house on a regular basis. Joe has a childhood block against cabbage, but likes a bit of mild sauerkraut, cole slaw, or some of those kinder, gentler cabbages like Napa or Bok Choy.

I loooooovvvveee cabbage. Oh, how I love corned beef and cabbage, Reuben sandwiches, or any form of sauerkraut or coleslaw or that cabbage salad with the crispy ramen noodles and almonds. My problem is, cabbage doesn't like me at all. It's delicious, but not quite so fun later on.

Oh, then we found this recipe. Glorious violet cabbages with glossy skins are burgeoning in our stores, and we had some sharp and sweet apples better for cooking than eating out of hand. We had to at least give them a try, and we've made it twice more in the last six weeks.

This is a traditional German recipe but I bet lots of other cold-weather countries have found the same sort of combination of sweet-sour cabbage that simmers out the harsh taste. I'm pretty sure this will be on our table until fresh cabbages are no longer in season.

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup sliced onion
2 Granny Smith or other tart apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
6 cups shredded red cabbage (this is about half of a large red cabbage)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cups beef broth
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp flour
1 cup red wine

Instructions

In a large skillet, melt the butter. Stir in the sugar until melted. Add the onion and apples saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Turn up the heat and add the cabbage, glazing them with the butter and sugar.

Add the bay leaf, salt and pepper, then pour in the red wine vinegar and 1 cup of the beef broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, until the cabbage is starting to get tender. Sprinkle with the flour and stir well.

Sprinkle the flour over the cabbage and toss well to mix. Stir in the wine and the remaining broth. Simmer gently for a few minutes, until the sauce is thickened. Remove the bay leaf and serve.

Serves 6 as a side dish.