SUPER SWEET SPICED RED CABBAGE

When we bought a red cabbage last week I spent ages trying to find a fancy recipe to jazz it up but all I could find were Christmassy type recipes. Right now it's August but I thought you know what, let make it anyway because great flavour isn't concerned with what time of the year it is. This recipe braises the cabbage and an apple in a stock that is flavored with star anise and cloves for a bit of spice and golden syrup and sherry vinegar for a bit of sweetness. It's a marriage of flavors that really is super!

 There are a couple of things you could do to the recipe if you want too. Firstly you don't have to have the apple in there if you don't want it but it does add an extra bit of sweetness to the dish if you do. You don't have to peel the apple either as the skin adds even more flavour too. You can use a red or a white onion but a red onion will again further ramp up the sweetness.

The star anise and cloves are kind of the main flavors of this dish so I wouldn't really leave them out. For the syrup and the vinegar you can use maple syrup instead of golden or a red wine vinegar instead of sherry vinegar. For the stock, use the best possible stock you can get your hands on. The better the stock, the better your cabbage will turn out.

Recipe below will make enough cabbage for four people. It does take over an hour to make so if you are planning on having it for dinner make sure you get it on early so that it's ready in time;

Spiced Sweet Red Cabbage

A Heaped Tbsp Butter

1 Large Peeled And Finely Chopped Onion

1 Cored And Finely Chopped Medium Apple

1 Medium Finely Chopped Red Cabbage

2 Star Anise

2 Whole Cloves

4 Tbsp Golden Syrup

3 Tbsp Sherry Vinegar

250ml Vegetable Stock

1. Begin by placing a large pan on the hob and chuck in the butter. Turn the heat up to medium and melt the butter. Once melted, add in the onions and fry until just beginning to soften before adding in the apple and frying for 5 minutes.
2. Chuck in the red cabbage and fry for another 5 minutes before adding in the star anise, cloves, syrup and vinegar and pouring over the stock. Give everything a good mix together and then bring the stock to a boil before reducing to a simmer. 
3. Pop the lid on the pot and then leave to simmer for 1 hour, stirring the mixture every 15 minutes to make sure the cabbage is not catching on the bottom of the pan.

After the one hour, try your best to hunt out the cloves and the star anise and remove them from the pot before grabbing some tongs and dishing out the delicious cabbage. Don't drain the cabbage. The stock should of reduced down but any left over liquid is full of delicious flavor that is a pure waste if it goes down the sink. The cabbage will now be beautifully braised and should of soaked up all the delicious flavors of star anise and clove infused stock to give it a nice spiced undertone to the sweet and stickiness of the syrup and vinegar. This super side is a super special treat any time of the year!