Braised red cabbage and white cabbage cream and bacon.

I love cabbage and I think that it is underused and generally ignored by most people who do not really appreciate the fact that it tastes grate and in the case of red cabbage looks so impressive.  Rich ruby red in the centre of a table or as a bed of some thing to serve game or for contrast pork on.  I do not think you can go wrong this time of year. Therefore, here is a simple veg-cooking recipe that you can do for Sunday lunch or Christmas dinner.  And white cabbage normally only ever used for coleslaw but with a little effort it can be so much more.  You can make both in advance and reheat latter and it will be fine.

You will need,

50g/2oz butter

750g/1lb 10oz red cabbage

2 tbsp redcurrant jelly

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 orange, finely grated zest and juice

250ml/9fl oz red wine

A good pinch all mixed spice

Salt freshly ground black pepper and nutmeg to taste

85g/3oz raisins

Get your red cabbage and cut in half and then quarters and cut away the hard core.  Then shred the cabbage up and place it in a large saucepan.  Add the red wine, vinegar, orange juice and zest. Then put on the heat and bring to the boil.

Now add the red currant jelly, butter, mixed spice, and seasoning and simmer until the liquid as hast reduced by half.  Then add the raisins.

Just keep on cooking until most of the liquid has gone and all of the flavour has gone in to the cabbage.  What you do not want is a lot of liquid because that is all of the flavour and you will just tip that down the sink.

For the white cabbage and bacon

50g/2oz butter

750g/1lb 10oz white cabbage

250ml/9fl oz whipping cream

250ml/9fl oz white wine

6 rasher of smoked bacon

Salt freshly ground black pepper and nutmeg to taste

Prepare your cabbage in the same way as the red cabbage by coring and shredding.  But start this one by taking your bacon and cooking it in a sauce pan so that you get all the juices to crystallise on the side of the pan.  The reason for this is as you add the liquid it will go in to the sauce and make it that extra tasty cream sauce.

Add the wine cream, cabbage, and season.  Cook until the cabbage has reduced down and add the butter. Keep simmering until most of the liquid has gone and you have a really rich creamy cabbage and bacon mix at the end.