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Cook the Book: Braised Red Cabbage

Posted by Robyn Lee, December 4, 2007 at 2:30 PM

For a great wintry vegetable side dish that will go with anything, try Tom Colicchio's braised red cabbage from his book, Think Like a Chef. The bright red color of the cabbage and its sweet and acidic flavor will provide a nice contrast to other foods. Feel free to cook a huge batch at once—the vinegar will prevent it from going bad right away. You can eat red cabbage all week long!

Braised Red Cabbage

- makes about 3 cups -

Ingredients

4 small or 2 large heads of red cabbage, trimmed, quartered, and cored
1 tablespoon peanut oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon caraway seed
1 cup dry red wine
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar

Procedure

1. Separate the leaves of cabbage. Cut away and discard the tough ribs, then cut the cabbage leaves into thin strips.

2. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the oil slides easily across the pan. Add a little of the cabbage and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the cabbage wilts, then add a little more. Continue cooking, adding, seasoning, and stirring until all the cabbage is wilted. Add the caraway seed and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Add the wine and vinegar and bring to a simmer. Sprinkle the sugar over the cabbage and mix well.

3. Reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover, and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the cabbage is soft and shiny, about 45 minutes. Remove the cabbage from the heat and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

1 Comment | Tags: braising, cabbage, Cook the Book, Think Like a Chef, Tom Colicchio, vegetarian