Healthy German red cabbage recipe, known as Flemish style in France, is cooked in vinegar, onion and apple with spices. Great as a vegetable side dish as part of our holiday recipes, there's a bonus: it's braised without any sugar.
German Red Cabbage Recipe vs Flemish in France
What's more widely known as cooked German red cabbage (Rotkohl or Blaukraut), in France this dish is called: 'Chou à la Flamande', Flemish red cabbage.
It's a traditional vegetable side-dish cited by Larousse Gastronomique and Escoffier, the chef of chefs, in his famous Guide Culinaire.
Why We Love this Red Cabbage Recipe
The reason it's such a popular winter vegetable dish is it's
- Easy to make in advance - either make the day before or freeze ahead of time.
- Budget friendly: just one cabbage feeds 6-8 people as a side dish. It officially feeds even more but, from experience, guests always ask for a second helping!
- It's seasonal: this vegetable dish pairs well with many fall and winter recipes. With the apple and spices, add a little orange and it's perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I picked up this orange trick with spinach, for example, from chef Alain Passard of l'Arpège Paris.
What's the Best Dish to Cook It?
Red cabbage is best cooked in a Dutch oven or heavy casserole dish with a tight fitting lid. However, if you have a slow cooker, it works just as well.
German Red Cabbage Dish - No Sugar Needed
The beauty of apples with the red cabbage is there's no need to add any sugar. Traditional recipes I grew up with in Scotland always added a few tablespoons of brown sugar. Do try it without, as it doesn't need any sugar and works just as well.
How to Cook Red Cabbage
First prepare the cabbage. Cut off the outside core and eliminate the outer leaves. Cut the cabbage in four, cutting off the central core. Wash the leaves and pat dry with a clean towel and slice.
Heat the butter (or oil) in an enamel pot and sauté the onion until transparent for 5 minutes. Add the red cabbage slices and turn around in the onion mixture, cooking for a further 5 minutes.
Add the vinegar, spices and apple chunks, adding some salt and pepper. Although chef Escoffier added the apple later, I love adding it at the beginning so that it coats the cabbage.
Mix well together and add the water. Cover and leave to cook on low heat for 1½ hours, turning half way through cooking. Either cook on the hob or in the oven.
No Need to Layer the Cabbage, Apple and Onion in the Pot
The flavours mingle in the pot while it's cooking slowly. By adding just a little water (100ml, about half a glass), the cabbage won't dry out. After 1½ hours of cooking with the lid tightly on, it braises or cooks in its own juices.
Just before serving, squeeze in the juice of half an orange or 2 clementine oranges.
How to Keep Cabbage Red
I recommend a cooking time of 1.5 hours maximum to keep its lovely vibrant red colour. Not only is it prettier to look at, but the cooked red cabbage still has a little bite to it. It's also full of flavour and healthier too!
For more on how to cook cabbage, tips and recipes,
see the market cabbage (choux) page.
Can you Freeze German Red Cabbage?
This German red cabbage recipe is such a handy vegetable dish as it freezes well. Great for advance planning for your dinner parties, just defrost the night before in the fridge.
Reheat in the Dutch oven with the lid on (or cover with foil) for 30 minutes at 160°C fan/180°C, or covered in a saucepan for 15 minutes over medium-low heat. It only takes just 3-4 minutes to reheat in the microwave - just stir half way.
How to Serve
With its added spices, apple and orange, Flemish or German red cabbage goes particularly well with many main dishes. Great with:
- pork roast - cooked in cider and with apple, it complements it the best.
- pork in honey sauce and
- pan-fried mackerel fillets in mustard - add an extra squeeze of orange - it's good!
German Red Cabbage Recipe (Chou rouge à la Flamande)
Equipment
- Dutch oven or enamel pot with lid
Ingredients
- 1 red cabbage sliced
- 30 g (2 tbsp) butter (or olive oil for vegans)
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 2 large apples (Granny Smith) organic, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 3 cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 star anise optional
- 100 ml (half glass) water
- ½ orange, juice only optional (or squeeze in the juice of 2 clementines)
Instructions
- Prepare the cabbage: cut off the outside core and eliminate the outer leaves. Cut the cabbage in two, then 2 again, cutting off the central core. Wash the leaves and pat dry with a clean towel and slice.
- Heat the butter (or oil) in an enamel pot and sauté the onion until transparent for 5 minutes. Add the red cabbage slices and turn around in the onion mixture, cooking for a further 5 minutes.
- Add the vinegar, spices and apple chunks, adding some salt and pepper. Mix well together and add the water. Cover and leave to cook on low heat for 1½ hours, turning half way through cooking. Alternatively can be cooked in the oven at 160°C/140°C fan/320°F/Gas 2½.Optional, just before serving, squeeze in the juice of half an orange or 2 clementine oranges.
Please leave a comment