Cabbage Comforts

SLO Farm has had some lovely cabbages for sale over the past few weeks.  Being partly of German heritage, their cabbage displays always make my mouth water for braised cabbage with pork.  But who wants to braise cabbage on a hot summer day?  Then I remembered that I'd made some delicious braised red cabbage (Rotkohl auf Deutsch) in my slow cooker, which is a convenient way to make slowly simmered comfort food without over-heating your kitchen.

I make my braised red cabbage with some sweet red onion and a tart granny smith apple. I add some mustard seed for some punch, and then  braise in red wine and vinegar.

My slow cooker is convenient in that it can go from the stove top to the heating element. First I sauteed the onions and apple with the mustard seed. Then I added the chopped red cabbage and cooked it a few minutes.

Then I added the red wine and vinegar and left it to cook overnight. Waking up to the smell of cooked cabbage may not be for everyone, but I was almost tempted to have some for breakfast.  I held off until the evening and served it with delicious SLO Farm fingerling potatoes, tender green beans, and boneless breaded pork chops (my version of weiner schnitzle).

Braised red cabbage

1 head red cabbage, core removed and chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 granny smith apple, cored and chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp mustard seeds
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup red wine
1/4 cup cider vinegar
salt to taste

1. Saute onion, apple, and mustard seeds until soft.

2. Add brown sugar and cabbage, stir, and cook for a few minutes.

3. Add wine and vinegar and cook at a medium setting on a slow cooker for around 6 hours or simmer on the stove top for about an hour until the cabbage is very soft and the flavors have melded.