Braised red cabbage

Contains pork – recipe is for non-Muslims only

This low-fat Christmas side dish is the perfect sweet-savoury combination. Or try one of our simple twists using preserved lemon, ginger wine and bacon

Prep:10 mins
Cook:2 hrs 10 mins

Serves 8
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 87
fat 1g
saturates 1g
carbs 12g
sugars 12g
fibre 3g
protein 1g
salt 0.1g

Ingredients

1 small red cabbage (about 900g)
1 sliced red onion
70g soft light brown sugar
70ml cider vinegar
150ml red wine
a large knob of butter
1 cinnamon stick

Tip

Twists: Preserved lemon & cranberry

Put the chopped peel of 1 large or 2 small preserved lemons (discard the pith, pulp and seeds) in a large pan with 100g fresh or frozen cranberries, 1 tsp ground coriander, 6 cloves and 1 tbsp honey. Replace the red wine with 150ml cranberry juice, add the other ingredients and cook as per the recipe above.

Twists: Apple & ginger wine

Put 2 chopped eating apples, 2 star anise, 2 slices ginger and 1/2 tsp mixed spice in a large pan. Replace the red wine with 150ml ginger wine, add the other ingredients and cook as per the recipe above.

Twists: Bacon, maple & pecan

Heat a drizzle of vegetable oil in a large pan and fry 4 chopped smoked bacon rashers. When crispy, add 2 tbsp maple syrup, the pared zest of 1 orange and 50g roughly chopped pecans. Add the other ingredients and cook as per the recipe above.

Method

Quarter the red cabbage and remove the core, then finely shred. Tip into a large pan with the red onion, brown sugar, cider vinegar, red wine, butter and cinnamon stick and season well. Bring to a simmer, then cover with a lid, lower the heat and cook for 1 1/ 2 hrs, stirring every so often. Remove the lid and continue cooking for 30 mins until tender. Will keep for two days, or can be frozen for two months. Reheat until piping hot.