Guest Chef no.2

Tweet

Lu's Mum - Braised Red Cabbage

I was about to write this recipe like I'd cooked it - but I didn't. When I arrived home to Limerick on the train this Friday night - it was waiting for me - along some bangers and mash. It's one of my favourite ways to prepare a vegetable - a could eat an entire bowl - piping hot! The only other place I've seen red cabbage recently is inside a kebab.

The recipe is edited by my mum - but originates from the Paupers Cookbook by Jocasta Innes - first published in 1971. Having a quick flick through it mentions unpasteurised milk and tongue, which have slipped off my everyday radar. Though it gives some shopping lists and then provides recipes for the whole week - using up leftovers from previous days etc which is pretty interesting. I did spot a nice recipe for homemade yogurt - which I wouldn't mind trying

Back to the point -

Ingredients

1 small head of red cabbage - finely sliced

1 large onion - diced

1 large cooking apple - cored and chopped

2 oz butter

2 tablespoons of brown sugar

2 tablespoons of vinegar

6 cloves

Salt

Pepper

In a pan - melt the butter, then add in your vegetables and apple until they are evenly coated. Then stir in the sugar, cloves and vinegar. Cover with a well fitting lid, turn down the heat and leave to cook for 1.5 hours.

When cooked it's sweet and spicy and the most beautiful deep purple. I can't think of any dish right now that has such strong colour, well apart from beetroot. Great with bangers and mash. This vegetable dish improves with time - giving the flavours time to deepen - so cook loads and eat it today and tomorrow - you'll want to!