It’s cold outside and that for me signals the time to cook red cabbage to serve with a roast. I normally cook Delia’s version of slow cooked red cabbage but I fancied a change and this recipe is inspired by Nigella Lawson’s use of red wine in her version of Red Cabbage which can be found in her Feast book. I wanted to use sour dried cherries again to echo the sauce that I was making for the duck that we were eating this with and it worked beautifully. My husband can normally take or leave my red cabbage (more for me!) but he commented on how much he liked this version so it may have to be the version I use in the future (less for me).
1 red cabbage, shredded finely
1 onion, peeled and chopped finely
2 eating apples (I used Egremont Russets), peeled, cored and chopped finely
200 ml red wine
1 star anise
3 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
25g dried sour cherries
1½ tbsp dark brown soft sugar
Method
Heat a little olive oil in a large saucepan over a gentle heat and cook the onions until soft. Add the cabbage and the apples and stir to combine. Add the red wine, the spices and the cherries. Add the sugar and stir to combine everything well. Cook for a few minutes until the wine is bubbling and then turn the heat down as low as it will go and cook for at least two hours.
Any cabbage left over can either be reheated the next day, when it will taste even better or it can be frozen. If frozen, defrost thoroughly then place into a pan and reheat thoroughly.
