Braised red cabbage is a staple side dish for Christmas dinner, and the beauty of it is that you can make it well ahead of time, freeze it in the portion sizes you require and simply reheat on the day. Freezing does not alter the texture or taste so this is a real winner for reducing work on the day!
Ingredients
- 1 large red cabbage
- 2 large red onions
- 2 large cooking apples, peeled cored and chopped into small chunks
- 1 orange, peeled and diced.
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 3 tbsp soft brown sugar
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- Olive oil for frying
Method
Start by coring and finely shredding the cabbage and finely slicing the onions.
Put a large oven-proof casserole dish on the hob with a generous glug of olive oil. Add the onions and fry on a medium heat until they have started to soften. Then add the red cabbage and garlic, and stir through well. Continue to cook for a few minutes.
Add the red wine vinegar followed by the sugar, salt, apples, orange and spices and mix thoroughly. Simmer gently on the hob with the lid on for about 5 minutes.
Ensure the lid is well sealed, take off the hob and put it in the oven at 160 degrees for about 45 minutes, until the cabbage is soft and all the flavours have had time to infuse. Depending on how thickly you have sliced the cabbage it may take a bit more or less time, so give it a stir after about 30 minutes to see if it has already softened.
If you have made this ahead of time and frozen it, to defrost take out of the freezer the night before and heat until piping hot before serving.