Braised Red Cabbage

Hot pickle not optional

This really made some deli-bought brats sing. While the recipe isn’t super complicated, you’ll need to allow plenty of time for the cabbage to get nice and tender. It took about an hour for us. The recipe is adapted from one in an old cookbook called Recipes: Russian Cooking, which is part of the Time Life Foods of The World series.

Braised Red Cabbage

• 1 2-lb red cabbage, cored and shredded
• 1 small onion diced, about 1 cup
• 6 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp Greek yogurt or sour cream
• black pepper to taste

Mix the tomato paste in the water and set aside. In a four- to six-quart stock put, melt two tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Saute onions until tender, about five minutes. Stir in cabbage and pour in tomato paste and water mix. Add salt, pepper to taste and remaining butter. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cover. Cook until cabbage is tender about 45 minutes to an hour. Uncover and stir. If the mix is too soupy, let it cook for about 5-10 minutes to evaporate some of the liquid. Stir in lemon juice. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt or sour cream. Season to taste.