Crimson Cabbage.......Sorry, No Bacon Allowed

The red cabbage is another of those vegetables that I think are vastly underrated and rarely get a mention.
A member of the brassica family, the red cabbage is delicious eaten raw or cooked, although unlike the more common green cabbage they can be slightly difficult to get hold of on a regular basis.

You can do with a red cabbage pretty much what you would do with any other cabbage, but surprisingly I find that bacon does not really go that well with it, it could be just my taste preferences of course so do try it for yourself, maybe you will love red cabbage & bacon!

Red cabbage lends itself very well to being cooked with sugar and spices, vinegars, wine, dried fruits, or served raw with chilli, lemon, ginger and lime flavours in an Asian styled slaw.

But luckily at this time of year it seems to be readily available in the supermarket, so why not take advantage of what nature gives us. My recipe for 'Crimson Cabbage' is well suited to the season of Christmas, with all it's spices and wine flavours it is a dish that will do justice to roast turkey, duck, goose, or even beef if that's your pleasure. For convenience you can cook this dish a day or two in advance and warm it up when needed, helping you to be that bit more organised for Christmas day! The delightful crimson colour will also look stunning against the vibrant green of sprouts which I DO recommend having with bacon! or chorizo, or pancetta or any cured bacon.......

For Crimson Cabbage you will need: to fee 4-6 people

1 medium red onion
300 - 400 g red cabbage

100 g butter (salted)

4 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar

100 mls good red wine

120 g soft brown sugar

100 g sultanas

2 heaped teaspoons ground allspice

sea salt / fresh black pepper

How to:

• peel then slice the red onion as thinly as you can. I find using one of these hand slicers invaluable for tasks like this!
• remove any outer leaves from the cabbage, cut in half and then quarters and again slice very finely

• place the butter in a deep casserole pot or saucepan and melt gently, add the sliced onions, stir around for a moment then put a lid on, sweat the onions about 2 minutes on medium heat
• add the sliced cabbage, brown sugar, all-spice, vinegar, sultanas and wine, stir everything together well 
• bring to the boil and turn heat down to medium/low, put the lid back on and let the cabbage steam away gently in the delicious spices and liquid

As the cabbage cooks it will leech out the natural red colour but as cooking continues the liquid will evaporate and you will be left with a lovely syrupy coating to your cabbage and a vibrant crimson colour!

• continue to cook the cabbage until it is soft but still has a little bite to it
• season the cooked cabbage well with sea salt and fresh black pepper then serve