Red Cabbage Bramfeld Style

Preparation:

1. Approx. Bring 250ml apple juice with the bay leaves to the boil and draw on the switched off flame (electric stove) and allow to cool. Finely chop the red cabbage or plane (with a food processor or hand grater). Remove the outer leaves and stalk. Peel the apples and cut out the core. Clean the onions and cut into cubes.

Cooking approach:

1. Leave the lard in two large pots. Add the onion cubes and sear them until translucent over medium heat. In the meantime, cut the apples into cubes and add to the glassy onions. Let simmer for 5 minutes, then deglaze with the red wine vinegar.

Cooking process:

1. Add the cut red cabbage evenly to the top of the boil. Pour so much “bay-apple juice” into both pots that about a thumb’s breadth of liquid collects on the bottom of the pot. Let the red cabbage simmer over low heat for one hour, stirring again and again (I use “malt tongs” and knead the cabbage properly when turning) and, if necessary, only pour in “laurel-apple juice” when it is used up. After about 45 minutes of cooking, use the red wine mixed with apple juice to pour on. Just before the end of the cooking time, stir in the cranberry jam.

If the red cabbage is to be eaten right away:

1. Continue cooking until the desired firmness is achieved and season with salt, pepper and, if necessary, cranberry jam or sugar.

If the red cabbage is to be preserved:

1. Do not salt and pepper yet, as these spices can change during the boiling process. Allow to cool well before filling into the glasses.

Waking up:

1. Divide the cooked red cabbage into mason jars, distributing the settled liquid evenly over all jars. There should be at least 1 cm of liquid in each glass (a little more does not harm; just do not fill in more liquid than half the height of the glass). Close the glasses with soaked rubber rings, glass lids and clips / clasps and layer them in the wake-up pot. Pour in water until the top glasses are covered. Close the wake-up pot and insert the thermometer. Simmer over high heat until the thermometer shows 90-100 degrees Celsius. Cook at this temperature for 90 minutes. Let the pot cool down a little and then take the glasses out of the hot water (easy and injury-free with a “glass lifter”). Place the hot glasses on a dry tea towel and let them cool down. Remove the clips from the glasses that have cooled to room temperature. If the jar stays closed, the contents are fine. Jars that open (now or during storage) are not OK! This is where the content has probably started to ferment and is spoiled! The contents of such glasses must not be consumed! In order not to endanger this protection against spoiled contents, the glasses should NEVER be stored with the metal clamps.