Purple or red cabbage is a colorful vegetable rich in potassium, antioxidants and vitamin C. It is great for fresh salads, side dishes and main dishes. Braising and sautéing helps emphasize the natural sweetness of the vegetable.
How to process purple cabbage
Purple cabbage should be processed before cooking. The upper, coarser leaves are removed from the head of cabbage, leaves damaged during storage, which have changed color. The cabbage is washed under cold water, dried by blotting with a paper kitchen towel. Before chopping, you should cut the head of cabbage into four wedges and cut out a hard core from each - a stump. Then you can cut the cabbage with a knife into long strips or squares, chop it with a special grater or food processor.
Sometimes cabbage is also cooked in wedges, lightly frying each in a pan.
Red cabbage salad
Bright and crispy red cabbage is great for salads. They are often served with meat or in hamburgers. Such cabbage will be especially tasty if you marinate it before serving. For this salad you will need:
- ½ head of purple cabbage;
- ½ cup vegetable oil;
- ½ cup and 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar;
- 3 tablespoons of sugar;
- 2 teaspoons of salt;
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
Chop the cabbage into long, thin strips. Place in a deep, non-reagent bowl. Whisk together vegetable oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir the dressing with the cabbage, tighten the bowl with cling film and refrigerate the salad for 2-3 days. You can also make quick salads with purple cabbage, the same recipes are suitable for them as for white cabbage.
How to stew purple cabbage
Stewed red cabbage turns out to be especially aromatic and sweet. So that it does not lose its bright, rich color, vinegar must be added to the dish. In order to balance its acidity, cane sugar and sometimes black or red currant jelly and cranberries are often added to the purple cabbage stew. It gives the dish a spicy, fruity flavor. From spices to red cabbage, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, chopped juniper berries, dill seeds are ideal.
The bright color of cabbage is due to the content of special pigments, anthocyanins. They have anti-inflammatory properties and health benefits.
To make a great cabbage stew, take:
- 1 head of purple cabbage;
- 50 grams of butter;
- 1 head of red onion;
- 1 stick of cinnamon;
- ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves;
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg;
- 1 sour apple;
- 3 tablespoons of cane sugar;
- 150 ml of balsamic vinegar;
- 2 tablespoons of cranberry jelly.
Chop the cabbage, chopping it to your liking. Cut the onion into thin half rings. Cut the apple into quarters, remove the seed capsule and cut the flesh into cubes. Melt the butter in a deep skillet. Fry the onions until soft, add the spices and fry them for 1-2 minutes. Add the cabbage, mix it with the onions and spices, add the apple, sugar and vinegar. Reduce heat to low, cover skillet with lid and simmer cabbage for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cranberry jelly and simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
