Cabbage is a comforting side dish on a cool, dark evening. It pairs nicely with schnitzel, sausage, roasts, and dumplings.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 small red cabbage, sliced thin, about 565 g (1¼ lb)
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) water
- 60 ml (¼ cup) red wine
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, or to taste
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- Pinch of caraway seeds
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
Halve the cabbage. Make an angled cut at the base of each half to trim out the core and the thick white ribs. Flip each half to the cut side and slice into thin ribbons; the exact thickness doesn’t matter as long as the cut is consistent, so it all cooks at the same rate.
Melt the butter in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the cabbage, then season with salt. Add the water, red wine, red wine vinegar, sugar, and caraway seeds.
Cook uncovered, raising the heat to medium-high if you want it to go faster, stirring occasionally to keep it moving. You’re cooking off the liquid, and the cabbage should be tender by the time it’s gone, about 15 minutes. If the liquid evaporates before the cabbage is tender, add a splash more water and keep cooking.
Taste once the liquid is gone. Adjust with more salt and pepper, sugar for sweetness, or vinegar for tang, to taste.
Notes
- Everything here is to taste, not precisely measured; the amounts above are a starting point.
- For a more complex version, sauté diced or sliced onion in the butter before adding the cabbage. Bacon or pancetta also works, cooked first to render fat.
- Raisins, currants, shallots, leeks, apples, and pears are all common additions.
- Good base for a one-dish meal with smoked sausage or leftover pork ribs stirred in.