My Mum's Braised Red Cabbage with Bacon

The best braised red cabbage recipe you will come across. Different from traditional German red cabbage as it includes bacon. Could this be the best German red cabbage recipe ever?

A dish that holds a special place in my heart, and stomach. My mother would traditionally make this ever Christmas, and Christmas wouldn’t be the same without it.

Served with roast turkey and baked vegetables. It is one of the highlights of our Christmas Eve dinner. The other highlight, of course, is Piragi (Latvian bacon buns).

I would class Mum’s braised red cabbage more French style than German. Due to the omission of apple and the addition of bacon. Also, her cooking style was based on French fundamentals.

Ingredients

With the use of caraway, clove, and vinegar, they give this recipe a mild sauerkraut feel! A good splash of red wine rounds out the robust and full flavours of this braised red cabbage beautifully.

• Bacon: Buy whole rashers of bacon. It's Christmas, leave the lean short cut bacon (Canadian bacon) at the butcher/supermarket.
• Onion: Use brown onions.
• Brown Sugar: Not only adds sweetness, but it also adds a lovely caramel note.
• Salt: Flavour enhancer.
• White Wine Vinegar: Gives it a sauerkraut vibe and touch of acidity.
• Powdered Cloves: You don't use much, it really adds to the flavour profile, and you do miss it if it isn't added. Trust me, I know.
• Sugar: Purely for flavour balance.
• Red Cabbage: You can use either fresh or canned red cabbage for this recipe. The result will be different, but both just as delicious. I often use fresh these days as canned/tinned can be hard to find. I do prefer using canned or tinned, I think due to the nostalgia.
• Red Wine: If you need to leave the red wine due to religious or other reasons, substitute with a non-alcoholic one or water. The alcohol will have cooked out by the time you serve it.
• Caraway Seeds: Like the powdered clove, as far as I am concerned they can't be left out. Of course if you don't like caraway, feel free to do so.

Recipe Walk Through

This is a very easy recipe, but Slow and steady wins the race. You want to braise the red cabbage slowly. It needs to be tender and have had time for the flavours to develop.

• In a heavy based pot (with lid) fry bacon over medium heat until the fat runs. Add onions and cook until they have softened, not browned (about 5 minutes). 
• Stir in remaining ingredients, except the caraway seeds, and cook covered for 30 minutes, giving it a stir now and then. 
• Season to taste and add caraway seeds if desired – trust me it is desired

Handling Leftovers

The beauty of this dish is that the braised red cabbage can be frozen. It freezes very well. Simply defrost, reheat and serve. It will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days too.

Where Mum’s recipe originated, I have no clue. Sadly I can no longer ask her. It really is all a guessing game now, but it is a dish I remember her making from my first Christmas memories. A family traditional red cabbage, a Christmas staple.

If you do end up making this very close to my heart recipe, then please let me know!  You can find me on Instagram and Twitter. 

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