Red cabbage recipe for Christmas

Christmas Red Cabbage before the oven

I spent the weekend like most people doing Christmassy things. Some I hate and see as a huge chore, like wrapping presents which I put on a parr with putting away the weekly shop, and others which I love like feeding the Christmas cake brandy and making my red cabbage for Christmas day and any other meal over the holiday.

This is incredibly simple to make and really cheap but tastes of Christmas and is an essential side-dish to turkey. Because it is a slight mix of sweet and sour (apples, onions and cabbage) with spices like cloves and cinnamon it is Christmas in one dish really.

Made beforehand, left in the fridge overnight then bagged up to serve when needed I haven't had a Christmas without it in years.

Based on a recipe for red cabbage and apples by Delia Smith my recipe has

1 onion diced
2 cooking apples peeled, cored and chopped
1 medium sized red cabbage
1 sliced clove of garlic
a pinch of ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
5 cloves (whole)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
slosh of red wine if available
bits of butter on the top
salt and pepper

Prepare all the ingredients in a large casserole dish with a lid. Add in all the seasonings, vinegar etc and stir. Put in an oven heated to 150 degrees and cook for around 2 hours until soft. Take out and leave to cool then leave over night in the fridge before either heating through thoroughly and eating or freezing.

Et voila!

The finished cooked red cabbage