Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

I have to confess that by this time of year I’m a little tired of cabbage.  It’s one of the most affordable vegetables in the grocery store so we end up eating a lot of it.  I am the queen of coleslaw but, eventually, I just really need a change.  That’s certainly how I was feeling when I stood in the produce aisle on Tuesday, but I ended up bringing a cabbage home anyway.  I only had a couple of bucks in my pocket and it was, once again, the best value for my money. 

I consoled myself by buying a red cabbage.  At least it was a little bit different from what we’ve been eating in recent weeks, and I knew that I would find sweet and sour cabbage a change of pace from the other cabbage dishes we’ve been eating.

My sister Alane taught me how to make this dish.  She learned it from her German mother-in-law, and I have to say that the recipe’s a keeper.  A word of caution though:  I’d forgotten how big a quantity this recipe makes.  I ended up with a mountain of cooked cabbage.  Thank goodness for borscht!

To make sweet and sour cabbage, you’ll need:

• 1/2 head of red cabbage
• 1/2 a red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 apple, cut into a small dice
• 2 teaspoons of cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• A pinch of cloves
• 1 Tablespoon of canola oil

Start by coarsely shredding the cabbage and placing it in a bowl.  Fill the bowl with cold water and swish the cabbage around a bit to make sure that there are no little bits of soil clinging to it.  

Working in a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the canola oil and then use it to sautée the onion until it’s tender.  Reduce the heat to medium-low, drain the cabbage in a colander and add it to the pot.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Stir to combine.

Continue cooking the cabbage, stirring occasionally, until it’s tender.  This can take quite a while—up to an hour.  When the cabbage is cooked it should be tender but still have some texture to it, and all of the liquid in the pot should be evaporated.