Quick Braised Red Cabbage
Best Braised Red Cabbage
Cabbages are arguably the most common go-to veggie for many communities around the world. It goes without saying that its cabbages are also a top meal in many Poles’ homes, with people consuming them in large quantities daily. Many factors are making this veggie rank among the most consumed and likable food products around the globe. For starters, it is easily affordable, and it stores well in the cold basement storage.
Way back, my aunt’s family had a small farm where she grew lots of cabbages, making veggies never to miss on our dining tables. We, on numerous occasions, would try out several recipes with cabbages as the main ingredient. Our favorite try-outs featured sauerkraut, stews, stuffed cabbages, side dishes, and bigos, otherwise known as Hunter’s stew.
One of my all-time favorite cabbage-inclusive recipes is the braised red cabbage. The meal is, in simple terms, a sweet-and-sour red cabbage, locally known as Czerwona kapusta zasmażana (cherr-VOH-nah Kah-POOSS-tah zahs-mah-ZHAH-nah), a top side dish that is easy to assemble.
Polish Braised Red Cabbage is a top meal with a crunchy, sweet, sour, and delicious taste to tantalize your taste buds.
Comparatively, the red cabbage has a sweeter taste than the white and green cabbage. After cooking, the red cabbage obtains a more bright color that makes you eat even more! The red cabbage is readily available in almost every grocery store, is an all-season veggie, and is inexpensive to buy.
The tasty Polish Braised Red cabbage can accompany any dish, a favorite side meal to spruce up your mealtimes. One of my best combinations of red cabbage is sausage, grilled chicken, and pork.
When cooking, my favorite method is braising, my best way to prepare the red cabbage. Braising involves moist-heating, browning vegetables, and meats in fat, after that cooking them in a small amount of liquid in a tightly covered pot. You then cook the meat over low heat, preferably on a stovetop or oven for some time. While cooking, ensure that you observe the two keywords, slow and low, for the ultimate results!
By using braising as a cooking method, you break down the cabbage’s tough fibers and add flavor to the meal. Braising is the best way to cook fibrous vegetables and tough meat cuts and make them soft, crunchy, and palatable. The cooking methods will turn tough veggies, including Brussels sprouts, parsnips, rutabaga, and celery root, into soft meals that are easy to eat.
This recipe of the Braised Red Cabbage focuses on retaining the crispness of the veggies, going against the common cooking practice of slow cook. The process requires 15 minutes of cooking for the best results.
The balsamic vinegar sweetness comes to life with braising as a cooking procedure. The balsamic vinegar brings to the fore a bit of tartness into the veggie, creating a colorful, fragrant special dish. The highlight of the Polish Braised Cabbage flavor is a light sweet, and sour taste. Cooking the vegetables for a more extended period makes a big difference to the taste of the meal, although the more extended cooking period was never my intention when coming up with this awesome recipe.
The inclusion of a little bit of apple cider vinegar in the recipe helps the cabbage maintain its beautiful bright color and also marinates the flavor of the veggies together. You can comfortably serve the resulting sumptuous meal, either cold or hot, without it losing its sweet, tasty flavor.
When it comes to serving, the Braised Red Cabbage goes well with several meals. You can try out the veggie with any meat and stews or pot roast. My favorite combination is with mashed potatoes, making the cabbage an excellent side dish.
After preparing the meal, I like to refrigerate it overnight to improve the flavor and make it even better. This meal freezes quite well and can stay fresh and in perfectly good condition for up to six months.
Recipe Variations Of Braised Red Cabbage
There are several variations that you can quickly try out and come up with the top results that you will enjoy.
Some of the variations include a green cabbage in place of the red one. In the preparation, add some blueberry preserve or apricot jam, for the ultimate sweet taste.
Another special preparation is the German way which involves; adding butter, bacon, apple juice, and chopped apple with some red wine and some cloves, keeping in mind that too many cloves might ruin your meal.
For the zing procedure, add one teaspoon of freshly crushed mustard seeds, or 1/2 teaspoon of caraway seeds (crushed or left whole). After the setup, ensure you cook it slowly and gently over some time for the best results.
Ingredients
- 1 medium-sized onion diced
- 1 head of medium-sized cabbage
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice, apple cider vinegar local honey, and salt
- 2 tbsp butter or ghee, olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Gather the ingredients.
- Wash and slice the cabbage. Using a large pot or if possible a dutch oven, heat the olive oil. After heating the olive oil, add the onion and cook until red-brown. The next step is adding the cabbage and cooking on medium heat for a maximum of 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients then cooking on medium-low after covering the lid tightly.
- Stirr ocassionally to achieve vegetable tenderness. You should allow the food to cook for approximately 15 minutts.
