Paul's Braised Red Cabbage with Apples

Each holiday season we get together with good friends for a pre-Christmas dinner to indulge in a special menu of traditional yuletide favourites, that over time have included such succulent offerings as Roast Goose, Prime Rib of Beef or Gigot d'Agneau. One dish that we look forward to each year when we serve Roast Goose is my friend Paul's delicious Braised Red Cabbage with Apples which he brings in a handsome casserole tucked under his arm, still warm and fragrant from his oven across town. Always a generous guest, he graciously shared his secret recipe this year so that I could make his dish anytime of the year.




Paul's Braised Red Cabbage with Apples
Serves 6-8

2 lb red cabbage
1 yellow onion, chopped small
4 medium cortland or spy apples, peeled, cored and chopped small
1 cup dry red wine
2 tsp duck lard or olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
3 bay leaves
3 tbsp red wine vinegar


Preheat oven to 300°F. Melt the lard or oil in an ovenproof casserole and add the chopped onion; gently sauté until brown. Meanwhile wash and roughly chop the red cabbage, discarding the tough outer leaves and removing the hard stalk. Place in the casserole, along with the red wine, vinegar, bay leaves and 2 of the chopped apples. Season with salt and pepper, and bake covered for 1 1/2 hours.

When cooked, add the 2 remaining chopped apples, and continue to bake for a further 15 minutes. Before serving, remove the bay leaves from the pot. Red cabbage, once cooked, will keep warm without coming to any harm and will also reheat very successfully. Delicious with roast duck, chicken, schnitzel, sausage, meat pie or rashers of bacon and best of all … goose.