Beetrooty appley red cabbage

Red cabbage is a bit like the tardis – much bigger on the inside than the outside. You stand in the kitchen looking at one and think that there is no way that will be enough for eight people, then you chop it up and suddenly it would feed twenty. For this reason I have resolved to always buy a much smaller cabbage than I think I need, or to make sure that I have some space in the freezer before I begin.

It doesn’t really matter though because it keeps for quite a while, freezes well, goes well with all sorts of things, and tastes so good that you can eat it days in a row without starting to hate it.

It’s very red

Beetroot and cabbage and apple and cider, it’s all very red, all very wintry, and somehow feels all very Eastern European. It’s also very very good, and goes well with just about anything.

Red cabbage with apples is a pretty common recipe, and this is just a version of that with the addition of some beetroot.

There really isn’t a hell of a lot more to say about this dish, so without further ado here we go.

The recipe

IMPORTANT NOTE! – Don’t add salt at any point before the end of cooking when the cabbage is already soft, or it will never get tender.

Peel the first couple of leaves off the cabbage and throw them away, cut it into quarters, remove the woody stem part from the middle and then thinly slice the rest.

Half and slice the onions, then peel, core and roughly chop the apples and peel and chop the beetroots.

Take care not to cut the apple into too small pieces or they will just break down and disappear completely during cooking.

In a big pan, put a layer of the cabbage on the bottom, then a layer of the onion, apple, beetroot, zest, sugar and mixed spice. Repeat with alternate layers of cabbage then everything else, until you have used it all.

Pour the vinegar and cider over everything, and cut the butter into a few pieces and put them on the top.

Put the lid on, bring it to the boil, and then turn it down and simmer over a low heat for about 45 minutes.

You will have to control the boiling and simmering by ear, as you probably won’t be able to see the liquid at the bottom of the pan.

After 45 minutes, give it a good stir, bringing the contents from the bottom of the pan up to the top, and then put the lid back on and cook for another 45 minutes.

After this time the cabbage should be tender, but if it isn’t then give it another stir and cook it for a little bit longer. Once it is tender you can add salt if you want to, and it is ready to serve.

You can keep the cabbage in a sealed container in the fridge for a good few days, and it also freezes really well.