Braised Red Cabbage, Revised

1

February 20, 2012 by Sara

I’ve made this braised red cabbage recipe a few times now, and although I enjoyed it both times, it wasn’t quite right.  This time, though, I think I fixed the two problems with the original recipe: not enough bacon, and not enough time on the stove.  So here is the revised recipe, which I am much, much happier with.  The final product won’t win any beauty contests, but it tastes amazing — sweet, sour, smoky and salty.  Serve this with pork chops.

Adapted from Simply Recipes

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound thick cut bacon, chopped
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 red cabbage head, core removed, thinly sliced
• 1 large granny smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Cook the bacon slowly in a large dutch oven over medium low flame until the bacon begins to brown and the bacon fat melts into the pan, but do not cook so long that the bacon becomes crisp.
2. Add the onion, increase frame to medium high flame until the onions are soft.  Add the cabbage, apple, cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and sugar and mix well.  Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce flame to medium low.  Cook for about 90 minutes or until the cabbage is soft, stirring occassionally.
3. Remove lid, increase flame to medium high and boil off excess liquid for 5 minutes, stirring often to make sure the food on the bottom of the pot does not burn.  Serve hot.