Red Cabbage with Apples & Chestnuts

The finished photo of this is a bit blah-looking. You know, cabbage begins to look a little grayish if cooked through. So fortunately I did snap a photo of it when I added the apples and chestnuts, still in the pan. Next time I won't pop this in the oven, but serve it directly from the range top. I was trying to get some things made ahead, so popped this in the oven to reheat. So the cabbage cooked more than I would have liked. Therefore, don't do as I did in this case, but cook this just before serving.


We entertained the other night, and I had some wonderful boneless pork chops to serve our guests, and wanted something appropriate to go with. Enter cabbage. I scrounged around the internet trying to find a recipe that suited me. How could I tell? I can't begin to tell you - I just read a recipe and either I like the sound of it, or I don't. I knew I wanted to use red cabbage and apples, probably onions, maybe shallots. So a search produced a bunch of options, and this is the one I chose. I'd make this again, but I'd omit the chestnuts. To me, they didn't add that much to the dish. Maybe even distracted me. Some people aren't so fond of chestnuts anyway. But I loved the apples in it, and it's very low fat and low calorie. As one of our guests said, pure comfort food.


Cook's Notes: Don't be tempted to put the apples in early. You want them to still have texture and shape. To be barely cooked. The onions and shallots add a nice character depth. One large head of cabbage will make enough to feed about 10 people. Maybe more. And be sure to make this just before serving. Long cooking only grays the vibrant color of the red cabbage.

Red Cabbage with Apples & (Chestnuts)
Recipe: Vegalicious.com
Servings: 10
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 whole shallots -- peeled, diced [I added these]
2 whole red onions -- thinly sliced
1 head red cabbage -- thinly sliced
1/2 cup red wine vinegar -- or apple cider vinegar
6 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons sugar -- or sugar substitute
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
2 whole Granny Smith apples -- cored, peeled, cut in small pieces
8 ounces chestnuts -- canned, drained, chopped [or, omit]
1. Heat oil in large frying pan over medium-low heat. Add onions and shallots; saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
2. Add cabbage, vinegar, water and sugar. Add the seasonings Cover; cook until cabbage is tender, stirring occasionally, about 30-40 minutes.
3. Cut the apple into small pieces and add to the cooked cabbage. Add chestnuts; cook until warmed through, about 10 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper. Serving Ideas : Ideally, serve with sausages or pork of some kind.
NOTES : You need a very large pan to make this. Or, divide the recipe into two pans, then combine at the end when the cabbage and onions have reduced down.
Per Serving: 118 Calories; 3g Fat (24.7% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 22g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 4mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.
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