Grammy's Recipe Book Sides

Red Cabbage

From Phyllis Caramanica

Prep
25 min
Cook
2 hr 40 min
Total
3 hr 5 minstart to eating

Times are our estimates for Grammy's recipe, with unhurried prep.

Grammy's handwritten page for Red Cabbage
Page 24 · full size

As written

Word for word from her page, with her spelling and line breaks. [?] marks a word we couldn't read.

Red Cabbage
- Phyllis Caramanica

Large red cabbage
1/2 lb thick sliced bacon - cut in chunks
2 onions - diced
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 TBSP sugar
2 Granny Smith apples - cored & cut into 1/4" size
wedges

Render bacon in large pot add onions saute
until limp. Shred cabbage and add to pot
Stir add black pepper add 1/4 cup vinegar, water
& sugar stir & lower heat to simmer - add
apples & simmer 2 1/2 hours.

Grammy's recipe

Her recipe, typed out to cook from: her amounts and her words, with abbreviations spelled out and the steps numbered.

Ingredients

  • 1 large red cabbage, shredded
  • ½ pound thick-sliced bacon, cut in chunks
  • 2 onions, diced
  • Black pepper
  • ¼ cup cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into ¼-inch wedges

Method

  1. Render the bacon in a large pot. Add the onions and sauté until limp.
  2. Add the shredded cabbage and stir. Season with black pepper.
  3. Add the vinegar, water and sugar, stir, and lower the heat to a simmer.
  4. Add the apples and simmer 2½ hours.

Modernized

A present-day cookbook version, with missing steps filled in. These are suggestions, not her words.

Ingredients

  • ½ pound thick-cut bacon, cut in ½-inch pieces
  • 2 onions, diced
  • 1 large red cabbage (about 2½ pounds), cored and thinly sliced
  • Black pepper
  • ¼ cup cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar (or brown sugar)
  • 2 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut in ¼-inch wedges
  • 1 bay leaf and 2 whole cloves (optional)
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven until crisp. Lift out and set aside, leaving the fat.
  2. Cook the onions in the fat until soft, about 8 minutes.
  3. Add the cabbage and stir until it wilts a little. Season with pepper.
  4. Add the vinegar, water, sugar, and the bay leaf and cloves if using. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low 1½ hours.
  5. Add the apples and cook 45 minutes to 1 hour more, until everything is very tender.
  6. Stir the bacon back in, then taste for salt, sugar and vinegar. The balance should be sweet-sour.

Ideas to play with

Twists and variations to try. Suggestions, not hers.

  • Holiday side

    Serve with roast pork, ham or sausages at Christmas.

  • Vegetarian

    Skip the bacon and use butter, with a pinch of smoked paprika.

  • Make ahead

    It’s better the next day, and it freezes well.

  • Red wine

    Replace the water with red wine and add a spoonful of red currant jelly at the end.