Hello everybody, today I want to show you how to easily prepare “Grandma’s traditional red cabbage”. This recipe is very easy to make and the delicious red cabbage is an excellent side dish to many different dishes. We love to eat the flavorful red cabbage prepared with apples and different spices in the winter as a side dish to roast, duck, goose, “Beef Rouladen” or beef goulash. For me, this is real soul food and the very best way to prepare our classic German red cabbage.
Classic German red Cabbage Prepared with Apples
Here’s a small but not unimportant tip right at the start: make sure you wear rubber gloves when slicing and chopping, and generally preparing the cabbage. You’ll thank yourself later when you’re not out for days with red and purple dyed hands. The name of this delicious cabbage varies from region to region. Here in Westphalia, we generally speak of red cabbage “Rotkohl”, while in southern Germany it´s usually called blue
cabbage “Blaukraut”. This also has to do with where the cabbage is planted and harvested. The soil ultimately dictates whether the cabbage takes on a more reddish or bluish color. The cabbage is traditionally cooked with apples and I like to season it with cloves, cinnamon, allspice and bay leaf. Later on I love to add a little red wine jelly or cranberries, raspberry vinegar and lard spread (“Schmalz”).
Make your own homemade classic German red Cabbage
My grandmother always prepared fresh red cabbage so deliciously and in winter it was often served as a side dish on Sundays with roast meat. If you want to prepare the red cabbage vegetarian, then it is best to replace the lard spread with clarified butter. In Germany, we traditionally serve this delicious apple red cabbage with hearty dishes like goose, duck, venison dishes, wild boar, or classic German “Beef Rouladen”.
Since almost all of these dishes are among our winter classics, red cabbage as a side dish is also one of our all-time favorites for the holiday season. I often cook a very large pot of red cabbage in November and December and freeze some portions. This way, I always have a few servings on hand throughout wintertime and save myself the work when things get a little busier. Being just as comforting as it is on cold
days, of course, red cabbage is also a real treat at any other time of the year.
I hope you enjoy reading, strolling through, and trying out my cooking and baking recipes! With the following step-by-step instructions for my grandmother’s “Red Cabbage with Apples” recipe, you can easily make this hearty side dish yourself. The cabbage is seasoned with cloves and bay leaf and cranberry or red wine jelly. It is best served as a side dish with game, beef, goose, or duck.
Equipment
- 1 large pot
- 1 knife
- 1 cutting board
- 1 large bowl
- 1 vegetable slicer
- 1 wooden spoon or spatula
Ingredients
- 1200 g red cabbage 2,64555 lbs
- 2-3 apples
- 2-3 Bay leaves
- 2 Onion large
- 2 tsp Salt
- 3 tbsp Sugar brown or white
- 4 cloves
- 1 anise Star
- 5 dried cinnamon blossoms
- 5 Allspice seeds
- 100 ml Red wine vinegar or vinegar raspberry
- 5 tbsp. Cranberries From a jar or red wine jelly
- 3-4 tbsp. Lard spread (vegetarians use clarified butter)
- 1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder
Instructions
- It is best to prepare all needed ingredients right at the beginning. You can do yourself a big favor by weighing and measuring your ingredients right from the start, too. Remove the outer leaves from the red cabbage and then cut it into quarters.
- Next, the cabbage core is removed. After that, cut the cabbage into fine strips.
- Peel the apples, remove the core and dice them. Then peel and dice the onions.
- You can now grind all the spices together with a mortar and pestle. Combine the cabbage with the spices, sugar and vinegar in a large bowl.
- Use your hands to thoroughly stir the mixture and let it sit until some liquid has formed.
- Put the lard spread in a large saucepan, then add the onions and half of the apples. Sauté the apples and onions in the lard spread
- For a while before adding the cabbage mixture and the rest of the apples. Simmer everything on low heat.
- After about 30 minutes, add the red wine jelly or cranberries. Afterwards, everything simmers for another 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Your homemade “Apple Red Cabbage” is now ready and good to serve. Enjoy!
