John Myers
Red cabbage can be bought in jars in very good quality. Nevertheless, there are enough reasons to make it yourself: For example, you have the opportunity to prepare it exactly the way you like it.
Remove the outer leaves from the fresh red cabbage and quarter it. Then cut out the stalks and cut the cabbage into fine strips. Prepare a marinade of vinegar, red wine, salt, and sugar, and add the cabbage strips. Knead the red cabbage well with it so that the marinade is evenly distributed. Now add spices such as cinnamon, juniper, cloves, and star anise, and let the cabbage sit for a while, preferably overnight.
The next day, melt the lard in a large enough pot, add the red cabbage and let it cook for at least an hour over low heat and with the lid closed. Stir regularly so nothing burns. Depending on your taste, you can add an onion studded with cloves, bay leaves, juniper berries, grated apple, pieces of orange, currant jelly, or even a few strips of bacon – this will make the homemade red cabbage even more aromatic. To bind, grate a peeled, floury potato with the fine grater of a square grater. Add the grated potato, stirring, about 10 minutes before the red cabbage is done cooking. Season to taste with salt and pepper at the end. Tip: Red cabbage is excellent to prepare a day or two in advance. If you are a bit more adventurous, you should definitely try our red cabbage recipe with almonds, honey, and cranberries or our red cabbage soup with coconut milk, ginger, chili, and garlic!
