Braised Red Cabbage with Red Wine

  A recipe from Fine Cooking Comfort Foods cookbook was for Braised Red Cabbage with Red Wine. Spiced red cabbage is a Dutch dish and around our area it is served often. The Amish serve it with their family style restaurant meals and in their homes.

  This recipe is quite similar to many others except for the addition of the Red Zinfandel wine. We were all pleased with the flavor and taste of the dish. I had white Zinfandel, so used that, any good red wine would work. It does take awhile to cook, however. I did not do ours quite as long as the recipe calls for.  We thought either way would be good. I shortened up the time by about 20 minutes. Ten minutes on each timing so it would still be a little crisp.

  I will give you the recipe with the original times and you can use your own preferences on the times. A good side or a main dish if you want something meat free.

Braised Red Cabbage with Red Zinfandel.

Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side dish.

2 Tbs of oil

½ large onion (red would be nice) thinly sliced

1-½ to 1-¾ lb. of thin sliced red cabbage

1 tsp. ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¾ teaspoon salt

1 cup red Zinfandel or red wine

⅓ cup red-wine vinegar

½ cup packed brown sugar

  In a large pan that’s deep enough to hold the cabbage when raw, heat the oil. Add onion and cook slowly over medium high heat until the onion is golden brown. Add the cabbage and saute, tossing with tongs until it has collapsed slightly and is no longer stiff, about 2 minutes.

  Raise the heat to high and add the allspice, nutmeg and salt. Add pepper to taste. Stir to coat the cabbage with the spices. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until almost tender and the wine is absorbed, about 40 minutes. 

  Raise the heat to medium, add the vinegar and the brown sugar. Cover again and reduce heat to medium low. Continue to braise until very tender about 30 minutes more. If there is still liquid in pan, raise heat and cook uncovered until the liquid has reduced to a glaze. Stir cabbage to coat and serve.