Apples with Braised Red Cabbage
One of the greatest pleasures I get each year is being able to
venture into most parts of the Worcestershire countryside and pick
my own fruit from the 'Pick Your Own' farms.
My annual calendar often evolves around seasonal produce, plums,
strawberries and raspberries during the summer months. Apples and
blackberries carry us through into autumn. Each turn of the season,
I don a pair of wellies and head to the orchard to collect one of
the first genuinely Old English apples, the Worcester Pearmain.
Simply known as the Worcester.
It has survived in the market place since 1876 and considering
there were 1545 different apples shown at the Apple Congress held
at the Royal Horticultural Gardens in 1883, it has had some pretty
stiff competition.
It ahs a juicy white to lime-coloured flesh and a soft texture
and works extremely well with this braised red cabbage and cider
apple recipe, a traditional combination f flavour that works so
well.
I usually pick up a red cabbage form my local road side veg man
on my way back home and head straight for the kitchen. You can't
get better than that!
1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tblsp olive oil
1kg/ 2 ¼ lb red cabbage, cored and very thinly sliced
6 Worcester Pearmain apples, peeled, cored and quartered.
90g/3oz sultanas, soaked in ¼ pint or 150 ml local apple
cider
1 stick cinnamon
1) In a large pan fry the onion in the olive oil until
translucent
2) Add the red cabbage and cook gently covered over a low heat for
around 10 minutes
3) Add the sultanas, cider and cinnamon stick, cover and cook for a
further 15 minutes
4) Remove lid and add the apples, cook gently for a further 10
minutes. Add seasoning to taste and serve.
This dish works extremely well with lamb.
Note: that the duration of cooking will depend greatly upon the
thickness of the cabbage.
