This spiced red cabbage with apples is a traditional Dutch dish that breathes new life into an underrated vegetable.
In Dutch cuisine, one of the staple vegetable dishes is spiced red cabbage. The addition of apples gives it an extra sweetness that works perfectly with the mild leafy green.
This is a great dish to add to your repertoire if you like trying new things and using vegetables in more unusual ways.
This dish is slow-cooked with rich spices, your choice of liquid, and plenty of butter that makes it rich and unforgettable.
It may need a little thickening just before the cooking time is up but other than that process is hands-off and super easy to get right.
Why you will love this Spiced Red Cabbage With Apples recipe…
Spiced Red Cabbage with Apples
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 red cabbage (quartered and shredded)
- 2 tart apples, washed and sliced (you don’t need to peel them)
- 1 red onion (sliced)
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup port, sherry, red wine, or orange juice (or a combination)
- 3 tbsp dark muscovado sugar (or plain brown sugar)
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2-3 whole cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- Zest of one orange
- Salt & pepper (to taste)
- 50 g butter (cut into cubes)
- 2-3 tsp cornflour
Instructions
Ingredients
- Pre-heat the oven to 150°C (300°F).
- Put all of the ingredients, except the butter and cornflour, into a large oven-proof casserole dish. Using a large slotted spoon, mix the ingredients together until combined. Place the cubes of butter on top. Put the lid on the casserole dish and put into the oven. Cook for 2 hours (after the first hour, take the casserole dish out of the oven and give the mixture a good stir).
- After 2 hours, take the casserole dish out of the oven. Check to see how liquidy the mixture still is.
- It’s likely that it will need thickening; if so, take out a quarter cup or so of the liquid and add cornflour to it. Give it a stir to combine, then add it back into the casserole dish, giving the whole mixture a good stir.
- Taste the mixture and check whether it needs any further seasoning and adjust as needed. Return to the oven for another 20 minutes. The liquid should end up being slightly syrupy, but not gluggy. Adjust liquid content if needed.
- Serve hot as a side dish, or on its own, along with a good measure of apple sauce.
Nutrition
Serving Suggestions
Traditionally, this dish is served alongside meatballs, potatoes, and a generous dollop of homemade apple sauce.
🧑🍳 Expert Tips
Storage Suggestions
Spiced Red Cabbage With Apples FAQs
Why add vinegar to red cabbage?
Adding vinegar pumps up the red cabbage’s flavor and helps maintain the color as it cooks.
Does red cabbage taste spicy?
On its own, red cabbage has a slightly peppery flavor which mellows out when cooked.
Is red cabbage good for you?
Red cabbage is a very healthy vegetable. It’s packed with vitamin C and fiber which boosts your immune system and improves gut health.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
4 responses
-
-
-
What is mixed spice?? Is this where you say just use Cinnamon. Do you leave out the stick then?
-
Hi John. Mixed spice is a commercially produced mix of sweet spices, used either in sweet or savoury dishes. Apparently it is similar to pumpkin spice. If you don’t have mixed spice where you are, you can make your own. I’ve popped a recipe from BBC Good Food below. If you can’t be bothered making your own, just pick out some of the spices you have available in your cupboard and add those in. The extra cinnamon stick just ensures an extra dose of cinnamon, which is the overriding flavour. Hope that helps.
1 Tbs ground allspice
1 Tbs ground cinnamon
1 Tbs ground nutmeg
2 tsp ground mace
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground Ginger
Blend all spices together, and store in a sealed jar away from light.
-
Leave a Comment