Slow-braised red cabbage, beetroot & pear
There are countless braised red cabbage recipes, but the common thread is plenty of spice, some gentle heat and some generous time. Unlike most brassicas, red cabbage doesn’t suffer when cooked for a long time; it softens and deepens its fantastic colour. The beetroot adds to the earthiness and compounds the colour, while the pear adds sweetness. We’d suggest adding any sugar towards the end, if you feel it needs it; most recipes are far too sweet, and it can be a matter of taste.
Ingredients
- ¼ of a red cabbage
- 1 medium beetroot
- 1 unripe pear
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- small glass of red wine
- soft brown sugar, add to taste – optional
Method
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Step 1
Slice the cabbage as finely as you can. Peel the beetroot and cut it into fine matchsticks (or you can coarsely grate it to save time). Do the same with the pear – you needn’t peel it though. Finely slice the onion.
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Step 2
Warm 1 tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan. Throw everything in apart from the sugar. Pop a lid on and cook over a very gentle heat for 1 hour. Give it a stir every so often and make sure it isn’t drying out; add a dash of water if it does.
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Step 3
Taste the cabbage and tweak the seasoning with salt to your liking. If you’d like it sweeter, add a bit of sugar at this stage, to your taste. Pop the lid back on and cook for a further 15-20 minutes, until completely soft and tender. You can serve it straightaway, but it’s arguably better reheated after a couple of days in the fridge; perfect if you want to get ahead for Christmas dinner.