Braised Red Cabbage and Apple
This is one of those side dishes we find ourselves making on repeat every autumn and winter, and honestly, we never get tired of it. Braised red cabbage with apple is proper British comfort food, sweet and tangy and a little bit spiced, with the most gorgeous jewel-like colour that makes any plate look incredible. The cabbage goes beautifully tender and silky while still holding a bit of texture, and the apple melts down into the whole thing to give it this lovely natural sweetness. Trust us on this one, it's the side dish that always gets the most compliments at the table.
Before You Start
- Large saucepan with lid
Ingredients
- 1kg red cabbage
- 2 crisp apples
- 1 large red onion
- ½ cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 50ml balsamic vinegar
- 60g muscovado sugar
- 250ml water
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 100g sultanas
Method
Prepare the vegetables
- Cut the red cabbage in half, cut out the core, shred the cabbage into small pieces with a sharp knife
- Peel, core and cut the apples into matchsticks
- Peel and finely slice the red onion
Combine the ingredients in a saucepan
- Put all the ingredients into the saucepan and put the saucepan on the stove over a medium heat
- Bring the contents of the saucepan to the boil, reduce the temperature to a very gentle simmer, put the lid on and allow to simmer for 45 minutes, checking every 15 minutes to check the cabbage isn’t drying out or catching
Taste and serve
- Taste the cabbage
- If it’s done the way you like it, remove from the heat and serve
Tips & Variations
- Make it ahead: This one actually gets better the next day, so we'd really recommend making it 24 hours in advance and gently reheating it. The flavours deepen overnight and it's one less thing to stress about.
- Add a splash of something: A glug of red wine or a splash of cider vinegar stirred in towards the end really lifts the whole dish and adds a lovely brightness. Henry always adds a tiny bit of extra vinegar right at the end to keep it punchy.
- Play with the spice: We love a pinch of cinnamon and cloves in here, but if you've got mixed spice or allspice in the cupboard, those work brilliantly too. Don't be shy with it.
Why This Works
The trick here is patience. Letting it braise low and slow is what transforms this from a simple veg dish into something really special, because the cabbage has time to soak up all those sweet and tangy flavours. The apple is key too, it breaks down and almost becomes part of the sauce, which is what gives the whole thing that lovely sticky, glossy finish.