Rotkraut

- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 1head red cabbage (about 2 pounds), halved, cored and thinly sliced
- 1cup burgundy (or other dry red wine)
- ½cup light brown sugar
- 1teaspoon salt
- Dash of cayenne pepper
- Dash of ground cloves
- 2bay leaves
- 2tart apples (such as Granny Smith or Cortland), peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 1tablespoon cornstarch
- ½cup apple cider vinegar
- 4tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
Preparation
- Step 1
Combine cabbage, wine, brown sugar, salt, cayenne, cloves, bay leaves and apples in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
- Step 2
In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch into the vinegar, then add to the pot along with the butter; stir until butter is melted. Simmer, uncovered, 20 more minutes, or until most of the liquid has cooked off and cabbage is very tender. Remove bay leaves before serving.
- This tastes best if it is made a day or two ahead, and can be reheated in a covered saucepan the day you plan to serve it.
Private Notes
Comments
As a German family living in this country, this is exactly the item we have been adding to our otherwise very traditional American Thanksgiving meal as the token German side dish for many years! As I also prepare it from scratch, I recommend to marinate the sliced red cabbage the night before it is cooked. Marinade should include vinegar, red wine (or apple juice), sugar (or honey), and cloves. And I agree, it needs to cook more than 20 minutes to become as soft as it should be.
The best substitute for butter is goose fat. The cornstarch is unnecessary.
I just made this for tomorrow and it's so delicious that I'm moved to let everyone know. I think it will be a great addition to our normal Thanksgiving fare. I made it a day ahead of time as the recipe suggests. I did make one change - I reduced the amount of sugar by half. I think it's plenty sweet as do my tasters, my husband and daughter. Thank you for a great recipe!
With the addition of carraway seeds, this is a classic Viennese dish.
Delicious the first day, even better the second day!
This was amazing! I made this for a German dinner party and it brought some much needed freshness alongside the sausage, potato salad, spaetzle, and weiner schnitzel. I liked that you can make it a day or two in advance to cut down on day-of prep. I made a single recipe for 14 people and we only ate half of it! People loved it, but definitely reached for a smaller portion than I had anticipated. This was great leftover the next day with toast and cheese.
