German Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

I've always felt that there's something strangely stage-like about winter.  Leaves or snow line the streets like props and the heavy gray sky closes in, becoming more ceiling than expanse.  Footsteps echo louder on the cold asphalt, and bundled beneath layers of clothing, I find myself observing more than interacting.  In these most monochrome days, a shot of color is always welcome.

Although some sweet and sour cabbage recipes use vinegar, my grandmother's calls for lemon.  And if, as Laurie Colwin claims, lemon is the workhorse of the kitchen, this is a sure-fire way to put it to use.  As you add the lemon and stir, it instantly and quite magically turns the cabbage into a shimmering hue.  This dish should be steamed on a warm stove, slowly on low, until it reaches your desired doneness.  Meltingly tender without being mushy is a worthy goal, and this could take between 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the heat of your stove and the amount of cabbage.  As with so many old family recipes, everything is done by taste and look, but I wrangled approximate measurements out of my pour grandmother as she tried to cook, all so you could enjoy this simplest of winter pleasures, bright and anachronistic in the cold, dark months.