Braised Red Cabbage and Apples

If you happen to be an avid follower of this blog (in which case, you are awesome) you might recall the day where I whipped up some grilled polenta cakes topped with toasted sesame Asian slaw and pulled pork. Well it just so happens that I had a substantial amount of leftover purple cabbage left, just sitting there, all alone in the depths of my fridge, just a'waitin to be used. I was trying to think of a recipe that would use up two honking heads of cabbage when I recalled a tasty recipe we made in school for our German menu in international class.

Cabbage is, I feel, a very misunderstood ingredient. It's either thrown on some tacos or saturated with mayonnaise. We forget how delicious and hearty it can be when severed warm along with some corn beef, in a savory soup, or as a stand alone side dish. I love this recipe because it's both savory and sweet, I really love the flavors of the red wine paired with the brown sugar and cinnamon cut by the acidity in the vinegar.It a perfect balance of awesome, plus it looks pretty cool on a plate!

Braised Red Cabbage and Apples

serves 5-6

1 head red cabbage, finely shredded and chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, sliced thin
2 Granny Smith Apples, cored, peeled and chopped
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup chicken broth, low sodium
1/4 red wine (I happen to have this freaky apple brandy so I used that instead)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.Quarter the cabbage and cut away the core, then cut the quarters into thirds. Rinse in cold water and proceed to chop into bite sized pieces.

2.In a large stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Saute the onion for 2 minutes until translucent. Add the cabbage and saute for about 4-5 minutes until it begins to wilt. Add red wine, cinnamon sticks, chicken broth, and vinegar and cook over medium low heat for 5 minutes. Add sugar, salt, and pepper and apples, then cook for 20 minutes until the cabbage is soft, stirring occasionally.