Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

We don’t eat enough purple food! Just seeing this side dish is enough to make you smile – it’s just so… so purple! This isn’t a kind of Kraut, sour or otherwise. Of course you could make Sour Kraut with Red Cabbage, but then it would be Red Sour Kraut. While Kraut has a snap or least a bit of a crunch, all of the vegetables and fruit in this dish are just barely recognizable. I like to layer flavors here; just pay attention to any cooking show on television – it’s a big deal, and really works to add dimension to foods, but there’s no layering here. All of the individual ingredients have given up their distinctive tastes for the good of the dish.
 
The Dumpling House, our favorite Czech hangout back in our west side of Chicago days, offered your choice of Red Cabbage or Kraut. Although I loved both, I usually ordered the former just for the color!


Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage
Serves: 8     Total Time: 40 Minutes


Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 1 Medium sized Red Cabbage, cleaned, cored and shredded
• 1 Red Onion, sliced
• 2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 2 Tablespoons Water
• 1½ Teaspoons Kosher Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste
• 3 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar


Preparation Steps

Step 1. Heat a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add Oil.

Step 2. Add Cabbage and Onion and sauté for 5 minutes.

Step 3. Stir in the Apple, Water, Salt and Pepper. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes.

Step 4. Add Vinegar and Sugar, stir and cook another 5 minutes.



Tips and Trending 

~ The longer you let this simmer, the less distinctive each ingredient will become. This is not undesirable, but if you like to see and taste every vegetable try this alternative. Cook the Apples, Water, Salt and Pepper in a sauce pan over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, then stir in the Vinegar and Sugar and cook on low until the Sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. During these last 5 minutes, add the oil to a separate pan and sauté the cabbage and onion over high heat until tender crisp and glossy but still holding their shape. Add the Apple mixture to the Cabbage and Onion, toss and serve.