Red Cabbage: Traditional With Pork

When you think of pork chops or a nice roasted pork loin, don’t you automatically think of some lovely red cabbage to accompany it? Especially in the fall.

This was a pairing I learned after I married my husband. He was of German extraction and red cabbage is more or less a traditional German thing. When my mother-in-law served roast pork or pork chops, she always had some delicious red cabbage to go along with it.

It’s a tradition I’ve kept up since it was something I really liked. I grew up with poached apple rings or applesauce with pork–traditional British style. At the risk of offending my ancestors, I like red cabbage with pork more than apple (sorry Mum).

Shredding The Cabbage

This is one of the jobs I prefer to do with a good old 8-inch chef knife. The reason being that there’s less to clean up and believe it or not, less prep work.

A mandolin would be my second choice. Again, clean up is easy and it does a great job.

I have every kitchen appliance known to mankind so naturally I have a food processor and a big KitchenAid mixer with most attachments. I even have an electric mandolin. But have you noticed you have to prep the food just to go in these machines? To me, that’s adding many unnecessary steps and leaves me with a sink full of dishes. Nope.

The knife method is great because you don’t have to finely shred the cabbage. In fact, it looks more rustic if it’s larger shreds. Red cabbage is a little tougher than the green stuff you get for St. Patrick’s day so it will require a longer cooking time.

Adjust Seasoning To Your Taste

I like this red cabbage dish a little on the sweet side, so I add a tad more sugar than I state in the recipe–which was my mother-in-law’s recipe.

If you like it a bit more tart, then add more vinegar. Since the recipe doesn’t rely on precise proportions to turn out right, there’s a lot of leeway to tailor it to you or your family’s personal taste.

The Recipe

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Red Cabbage

The perfect traditional accompaniment to pork

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: German

Keyword: cabbage recipe, coleslaw, german red cabbage, pickled red cabbage, things to serve with pork

Servings: 8

Calories: 63kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

• 4 cups shredded red cabbage
• 1/2 cup red onion thinly sliced
• 1 granny smith apple peeled and shredded
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tbs sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbs red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 2 tbs butter divided

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Melt 1 tbs of the butter in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the red onion, grated apple and the garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes, or until the onion begins to get tender.
• Add the sugar, salt, vinegar, water, bay leaf and caraway seed. Stir to combine.
• Add the red cabbage and toss to coat with the liquid. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook for approximately 20 minutes or until cabbage is tender.
• Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and stir well.

Notes

Taste to adjust the seasoning to your taste. If you like it more tart, add a tablespoon or two more of vinegar. If you want it sweeter, add a bit more sugar

Use a tart apple. For EU folks, Bramley would be a good choice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 63kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 330mg | Potassium: 147mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 598IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg

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Nothing says summer like corn relish! Serve it fresh or preserve it for later!

This corn relish is the perfect thing to serve along side of or even on top of burgers and hot dogs! How great is that for saying, “Summer”?

This is one pickle relish that was always on my preserving rotation when I used to do a lot of “putting up” when we had our large garden.

Fresh or preserved–your choice!

But I have to admit I like this relish fresh too! So I’m giving two ways of doing it. I combine canning it with serving it fresh so I have the best of both worlds.

It’s been years since I did canning too, and really enjoyed doing this batch. I used a deep stock pot with a rack in the bottom. This will suffice for half-pint jars. I have a proper water bath (and pressure) canner in my attic, but trying to find either…well…

If you do want to preserve, I’ve given a link in the directions to a site that will give you all the information you need. As long as you follow directions, everything WILL be safe to eat. Since this relish is acidic (a pickle) there is no risk at all of botulism. That’s only a concern in low-acid foods, but acid foods have their spoilage issues too (although not deadly), so I can’t stress enough following directions!

Corn Relish

• 4 cups cooked corn
• 3/4 cup diced red bell pepper
• 3/4 cup diced green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped white onion
• Brine/Dressing:
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tbs kosher salt
• 1 tsp celery seed
• 1 tbs mustard seed
• 1 tsp ground turmeric

Method 1 (to serve fresh):
In a non-reactive saucepan (i.e., stainless steel, ceramic coated), heat the brine/dressing ingredients to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and cool.


Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl and pour cooled brine/dressing over corn mixture. Toss and chill for about 1 hour.


Method 2 (to preserve by canning):
Prepare jars and water bath canner. Read directions on how to process high-acid foods here. You will need 6 half-pint mason jars.


In a large non-reactive saucepan, heat the brine ingredients to dissolve the sugar.


Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.


Fill jars with relish leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Place lids on jars and hand-tighten rings (do not over tighten). Place in water bath canner.


Process for 15 minutes (this is for sea level, consult your local extension office for high-altitude times)


Remove from water bath. Check seals after about 24 hours.

Corn Relish

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