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Braised red cabbage with star anise and cranberry sauce
This is my absolute favourite way of cooking red cabbage: the cranberry sauce – a much underused substance – as well as giving sweetness, has a tiny hint of bitterness, and never mind Christmas, I eat it – hot or cold – with everything: salmon, lentils, beef, game, chicken, beans, chickpeas … and on its own. For the cranberry sauce, you can either use a jar, or make your own – recipe below – which takes about 10 minutes and is well worth it.
For the Red Cabbage
- 1 red cabbage
- 2 large red onions
- 3 teaspoons olive oil
- A pinch of crushed coriander and cardamom
- 12 crushed juniper berries
- 1 – 2 star anise
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4 tablespoons cranberry sauce
- 4 – 6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- Salt and pepper
For the Cranberry Sauce
- 500g cranberries
- 200g water
- 200g sugar
- Zest and juice of an orange
- 1 star anise
- 1 clove
- Small piece of cinnamon
For the Red Cabbage
- Finely slice the red cabbage.
- Finely slice the onions; put them in a bowl and add 2 teaspoons of olive oil and a good pinch of salt. Mix them really well with your hands to make sure that all the onion has a coating of oil.
- Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a sauté or chef’s pan until it has spread out to cover the base.
- Add the onions and cook on a medium heat until they start to sizzle, then turn down for 10 minutes or so until the onion has softened and the juices have started to come out.
- Turn the heat up a bit for 5 – 10 minutes to intensify the flavour and reduce the liquid – being careful not to brown or burn them.
- Crush the garlic and add it with the spices to the onion; cook for a moment or two.
- Add the cabbage, balsamic vinegar, cranberry sauce, and a good pinch of salt.
- Stir well, cover, and slowly bring to the boil.Turn the heat down and simmer for 40 – 50 minutes, stirring from time to time, and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
It is done when it is glistening and soft.
For the Cranberry Sauce
Put all the ingredients in a small pan, slowly bring to the boil (to allow the sugar time to melt), and simmer till the cranberries split – about 8 minutes. And that's it.
Diva notes.
Preparing Red Cabbage
Red Cabbage is hard work, so either keep someone in the house who is into bodybuilding, or cancel your gym membership. At the very least, make sure that your knife is very sharp – and if you are not looking to streamline your flabbing arm muscles, use a food processor to shred it.
A Pinch of Sugar
If your balsamic vinegar is not particularly sweet, add a little sugar.
Don't let it burn
It is apt to burn towards the end when I have wandered off or am thinking of something else. Add a little water or employ someone else to watch it who is not so easily distracted.
Balsamic Vinegar
I use 4 tablespoons of ordinary balsamic and two of the very dense kind. My current favourite is made by Due Vittorie.
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