5 Ingredients or Fewer

Wintry Braised Red Cabbage, Plus Some Jelly

by:
November 24, 2013
5
5 Ratings
Wintry Braised Red Cabbage, Plus Some Jelly
Photo by James Ransom
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 2 hours 15 minutes
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

A classic, with the technique inspired by Molly Stevens's wonderful braised green cabbage. I like to take the browning a little too far -- I want the edges slightly crisp and charred, which plays beautifully off the rest of the tender long-braised cabbage. —Nicholas Day

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 medium head red cabbage (about 2 pounds)
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 2 apples, relatively tart, peeled and sliced
  • 1/4 cup red or black currant jelly
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Oil a large baking dish (9-by-13-inch, ideally) with half of the melted butter.
  2. Peel the outer leaves from the cabbage and cut it into 8 wedges. Nestle the wedges in the baking dish, more or less in a single layer. Salt liberally and drizzle the remaining butter and 1/4 cup water over the top. Cover tightly with foil and braise for an hour.
  3. After an hour, gently turn over each wedge and slide the sliced apples in among the cabbage. Drizzle the red wine vinegar over the top. Cover again with foil and braise for another hour.
  4. Take the cabbage out of the oven and remove the foil. It should be so tender it nearly melts. Increase the heat of the oven to 425 degrees. While the oven is warming up, drizzle the 1/4 cup currant jelly over the cabbage and gently incorporate it. Then slide the cabbage back in the oven and cook for another 15 or so minutes, until the wedges have started to brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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Nicholas Day
I'm the author of a book on the science and history of infancy, Baby Meets World. My website is nicholasday.net; I tweet over at @nicksday. And if you need any good playdoh recipes, just ask.

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19 Reviews

melissa L.
melissa L. March 8, 2022
This is SO good! Very diet-friendly also, especially if you cut back the butter just enough to lightly coat the cabbage and prevent sticking. I used sugar free blackberry jam, I had it on hand, and it provided the necessary tartness. I also put the jam in the microwave for a few (10?) seconds to make it runny enough to drizzle. I had cut the recipe to 1/4, which would require 1/2 an apple (the Honeycrisp I had on hand worked well tastewise) but I will increase the apple to at least double that amount because after the amount of oven time, there is not much discernable apple remaining! Love the char. So glad I had that leftover red cabbage to use up!
 
paddyk
paddyk February 7, 2022
WOW! This is amazing! Easy to make and one of the best new recipes I've tried in a long time. Next time I will put in more apples, even though I used two large ones. Thankyou!
 
Jane
Jane December 20, 2020
Only a few ingredients and so outstanding. I've made this with apricot and strawberry-rhubarb jams. Both were amazing. Added sausages once as well. This is company worthy. Thank you!
 
Kerry G.
Kerry G. January 9, 2016
I LOVED this. I added carrots and red onion and braised on stovetop as no room in oven at time. SO good.
 
Li P.
Li P. March 25, 2016
How long did it take on the stovetop?
 
Kerry G.
Kerry G. March 25, 2016
I usually let it go for about an hourlong an hour and a half. But check it... There is definitely a point it "seems" done, but if you let it go a little longer it gets so much better: soft, silky, sweet and tart. Really nice with pork and a creamy cauliflower purée.
 
Kerry G.
Kerry G. March 25, 2016
Whoops... Typo: an hour to an hour and a half
 
Laura G.
Laura G. August 30, 2015
I have always used balsamic vinegar can't wait to try this !!
 
Tommy
Tommy January 23, 2015
Blackberry jelly!
 
Sally
Sally January 23, 2015
I had tons of leftovers (we were just two people eating it), so I turned the rest into soup -- just added chicken stock and water, simmered for 10 minutes, and puréed it. It seems to have turned out all right, but I was just making it up, really... Advice welcome on other/better things to do with leftover braised red cabbage!
 
Laurelb
Laurelb January 7, 2015
How would it be if you make it without the jelly?
 
pieGirl
pieGirl March 20, 2014
Fabulous recipe. Absolutely delicious. It's close to being dessert. Used granny smith apples, and black current 100% fruit jam. Thanks Nicholas.
 
Molly
Molly January 26, 2014
do you think there's a way to adapt this recipe for a slow-cooker?
 
susanna.faygenbaum
susanna.faygenbaum December 16, 2013
i made this today with red cabbage, and it was incredible! can you make this with green cabbage?
 
Pork N.
Pork N. December 12, 2013
Jara - I used apricot and it was delicious.
 
Sunnycovechef
Sunnycovechef December 9, 2013
Jara, I have used strawberry jam , mixed berry jam or grape jelly. My family in Germany uses sugar. Check out my version of red cabbage I posted.
 
Muse
Muse December 5, 2013
I love, love, LOVE braised red cabbage with mashed potatoes...can't wait to make this! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
 
Jara
Jara December 5, 2013
What can I substitute for the currant jelly? I have a beautiful red cabbage at home I'd love to try this with, and some berry and jalapeno jellies.
 
Nicholas D.
Nicholas D. December 5, 2013
Honestly, Jara, I'm sure you can -- but I never have. I bet most berry jellies would be great, though.