Sweet and sour red cabbage, cooked with bacon, apples, onions, and roasted chestnuts. Great holiday side!
Looking for a festive holiday side dish? One my favorite winter sides is my dad’s sweet and sour red cabbage. The following recipe takes that Austrian standard up a notch with the addition of apples, onions, bacon, and roasted chestnuts. So good! Pretty too.
Braised red cabbage with chestnuts is a traditional accompaniment to roast goose, but if goose isn’t on your menu it also works great alongside a pork roast or even prime rib. You can easily make ahead and reheat to serve.
Braised Red Cabbage with Chestnuts Recipe
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 1 hour
- Yield: Serves 8
Ingredients
- 2 strips thick-cut bacon (about 3 ounces) cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 red cabbage head, about 2 pounds, quartered, tough core removed, quarters sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
- 1 large green tart apple
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- Freshly ground pepper
- 8 ounces canned or jarred roasted chestnuts (NOT water chestnuts), roughly chopped
Method
1 Cook the bacon: Cook the bacon batons slowly in a large sauté pan (with cover) on medium low heat until most of the fat has rendered out, and the bacon is lightly browned, not crisp.
2 Add onions: Add the sliced onions, increase the heat of the pan to medium high and cook, stirring often, until the onions have softened and lightly browned.
3 Add cabbage, apples, vinegars, sugar: While the onions are cooking, peel the apple and cut it into 1/2-inch thick pieces. Once the onions are ready, add the sliced cabbage, chopped apple, cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and sugar. Carefully toss to combine. Bring to a simmer, cover the pan, lower the heat, and simmer until the cabbage is cooked through and soft, about 40 minutes.
4 Add chestnuts: Uncover the pan. Add the chopped roasted chestnuts. Add salt and pepper to taste. Increase the heat to boil off excess moisture for a few minutes.
Serve hot.
