Red Cabbage

[redwitch]

My mother made red cabbage to die for. It was one of those recipes that was passed down from daughter to daughter through generations and it was always the last recipe the mother gave the child. Unfortunately, my mother died before she could give it to me.

I know it has tart apples, cinnamon sticks and who knows what else. I've tried a few recipes but they just didn't have the missing ingredient. So, please give me your recipe. I'll keep trying until I get it right.

Thanks all!

[Boomer]

Hi Red,

And thanks.

I had forgotten how much we like red cabbage. I have never made it though so I can't give you a recipe, for now.

But I did just pull out my faithful, old, big, red Betty Crocker. (You all know the cookbook I mean. It's the one a lot of us got for a wedding present...way back at the first wedding, maybe.)

Anyway, I have copied the "Sweet-Sour Red Cabbage" recipe and I am on my way to the store.

The test-kitchen here at Boomer-Base in Ohio will soon be open. I will let you know how this recipe turns out.

I also got sidetracked with "Chicken Cacciatore" from the same cookbook. I have made that before, but not for many, many years. I'm getting the stuff at the store for that, too.

And I know that all of you real cooks out there just cringed. But I promise that I will not serve red cabbage with chicken cacciatore. (I just love to say "chicken cacciatore" over and over. C'mon, say it with me. It's a slow day.)

I think I may have just found a forum to check pretty often. When I looked in here, I was putting off going to the grocery because I could not figure out what to cook. Sometimes that's the hardest part for me. But I checked in here and now I am off and running.

Boomer

[uujudy]

Boomer, we get ours in a jar at the local German restaurant/grocery store. It's almost as good as my Grandma's! Do you have a German grocery store nearby?

[Donna]

I am dying for German potato salad...I cannot find a German Deli here in the Poconos..:(

[redwitch]

Donna, the hot German potato salad or the cold with vinegar?

[Donna]

Red..The cold salad..You have a recipe??? :bigthumbsup:

[Boomer]

Boomer, we get ours in a jar at the local German restaurant/grocery store. It's almost as good as my Grandma's! Do you have a German grocery store nearby?


Oh uujudy, don't I wish. I do have a German (well mostly) nearby though.

And Donna, this is like the stuff you put on German potato salad.

I don't think this is what Red is looking for bc there are no apples or cinnamon, but I tested it, so here goes:

1 medium head red cabbage (about 1 and 1/2 lbs.)
4 slices bacon, diced
1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
2 T. flour
1/2 C. water
1/4 C. vinegar
1 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1 small onion, sliced

Prepare and cook 5 cups shredded cabbage. Heat 1/2 inch salted water (1/4 t. salt to cup of water) and 2 T. vinegar or lemon juice to boiling. Add cabbage. Cover and heat to boiling. Cook until crisp-tender. Maybe 10 minutes. Maybe less. Drain.

Fry bacon until crisp. (Try not to eat all of it.) Remove and drain. Pour off all but 1 T. of bacon drippings. Stir brown sugar and flour into bacon drippings in skillet. Add water, vinegar, salt, pepper, and onion. Cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes, until mixture thickens.

Add bacon and sauce mixture to hot cabbage, stir together gently and heat through. Garnish with extra bacon if you want to.

6 servings

Now, I must digress...

I hesitated to post this because although it was pretty good, I can't say it was wonderful.

I guess I can say that it had a good beat, but you couldn't dance to it.

One of the things that might have made it better was a different kind of onion. I had just brought home some Vidalia, which I truly could bite into like an apple. I like them that much. But I think a Vidalia was wasted in this recipe. Too mild I think.

Also, as I told you somewhere else on this board, I have Mr. Boomer convinced that the food processor is a power tool. So he likes to help. Well, our cabbage kind of turned out to be the consistency of oatmeal. Well, lumpy oatmeal. But I would like a little more crunch to the cabbage. Sometimes Mr. Boomer makes the food processor go vroom vroom.

Anyway, the red cabbage was OK, but I think it's one of those things that will get better "tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow." I doubled the recipe. I don't know why I did that.

So that's the report I promised. I am not great in the kitchen. If anybody has any suggestions, please tell me. For instance, am I right that the Vidalia just did not have enough oomph to get all heated up and take on the vinegar?

Boomer

Oh, and for some reason, this recipe says at the top, "A frankly man-tailored treatment that the whole family will appreciate." I don't know what that means. The copyright for this Betty Crocker was in the 70's. Maybe we were not quite liberated yet. Or was it that old "to his heart, through his stomach" thing. (Girls, I gotta tellya. Boomer had to find another way.)

[samhass]

Hey, this sounds political to me. Are you really referring to the "red threat" that used to be?
;) 1rnfl

[Donna]

Oh Sam..No politics for me..I stay neutral and out of the spot light..http://www.millan.net/minimations/smileys/liberty.gif (http://www.millan.net)

[samhass]

I'm joking, sweet Donna. That was just a poke at the absurdity of some of the other posts.
As for your neutrality online...that may be the wisest course.

[Donna]

Sam..I agree 150% about neutrality..This place gets very hot very quick..I have enough to think about, like when I am getting back to TV.. ;)

[renielarson]

Life is just too short to get all bent outta shape over politics or ;D....german potato salad, ;D which I actually prefer hot...

UH OH...could this become a "heated" debate? We better move it to the Political Forum...NOW!!!!!!

[Boomer]

Oh my. I had been in here writing away about cabbage and such. I just took a look around. Oh my. Oh my. Not going out there.

Meanwhile, back in the cabbage patch, I really would like to know if anybody thinks that my goof was probably due to the too mild onion.

I guess mild onions really should stay away from vinegar.

Boomer

[samhass]

I adore German potato salad.

[Donna]

While on Long Island, I went to a German Deli..The salads were to die for..Do ya think there will be one coming to TV??

[uujudy]

Our German Deli/Restaurant/Grocery Store is to die for! They have hot potato salad, cold potato salad, red cabbage, green cabbage, purple cabbage, every kind of wurst you can dream about, wienerschnitzel, and mile-high Linzertorts. I never heard of some of the things the deli carries, but it sure is fun to try something new. Most of the folks who eat there speak German, and they also sell German newspapers and magazines. It's a little bit of Germany in downtown Salt Lake. It's a little rinky-dink place, but we have to plan for a week before we eat there, because we tend to go overboard. burp.

If I could figure out a way to package up the potato salad, I'd be glad to send y'all some!

[Donna]

"If I could figure out a way to package up the potato salad, I'd be glad to send y'all some!"

Aw Judy..That is so sweet..Will they give you the recipe for the cold potato salad.....???? ;D

[uujudy]

Aw Judy..That is so sweet..Will they give you the recipe for the cold potato salad.....???? ;D
[/quote]

Oh Donna! I won't even ask! I'm chicken! :o Most of the restaurant reviews for Siegfried's Deli rate the food very high, but they lose points for service. Some folks have compared them to Seinfeld's soup nazi. Personally, I think part of the problem is because most of the employees only speak German. They don't chit chat because they don't understand what you're saying... On the other hand, there IS a line of customers out the door at lunchtime. :beer2:

Boomer: Could the missing ingredient be cloves? http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grandma-Jeanettes-Amazing-German-Red-Cabbage/Detail.aspx :dontknow:

Pre-made red cabbage online: http://gdcom.stores.yahoo.net/noapro10.html but the ingredients list doesn't show onions. Hmmmm. One of the ingredients is "aroma." The other red cabbage has no apples: http://gdcom.stores.yahoo.net/gunbarredcab.html 024

[Boomer]

Boomer: Could the missing ingredient be cloves? http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grandma-Jeanettes-Amazing-German-Red-Cabbage/Detail.aspx :dontknow:


uu,

Thanks.

Cloves are a powerful thing. Might be worth a shot.

I suspect I needed a stronger onion. But cloves would certainly make their presence known, unlike that Vidalia onion I sacrificed to the vinegar.

My granny used to tuck cloves behind her woodwork to keep ants away.

btw, I love your comparison of your deli to Seinfeld's soup nazi. I love that soup nazi thing like I love that "cheeburga, cheeburga, Pepsi, no Coke" from the very old SNL days. (The days when SNL was pretty consistently funny.)

Boomer

[uujudy]

uu,

Thanks.

Cloves are a powerful thing. Might be worth a shot.

I suspect I needed a stronger onion. But cloves would certainly make their presence known, unlike that Vidalia onion I sacrificed to the vinegar.

My granny used to tuck cloves behind her woodwork to keep ants away.

btw, I love your comparison of your deli to Seinfeld's soup nazi. I love that soup nazi thing like I love that "cheeburga, cheeburga, Pepsi, no Coke" from the very old SNL days. (The days when SNL was pretty consistently funny.)

Boomer


Boomer, yes, cloves ARE powerful! We made clove-studded lemons in Girl Scouts, so we could give them as gifts. The recipient was supposed to hang it in the closet to keep the clothes fresh. I didn't know that cloves keep ants away. Might be worth a try now that ant season is here. Maybe they also work to deter moths? Maybe that's why every GS troop made clove lemons? :dontknow:

I also loved SNL in the early days! No Coke! Pepsi! LOL :clap2:
Too bad you sacrificed your Vidalia to the recipe. Live & Learn. :'(

[graciegirl]

Boom:

It sounds like you have too much cabbage and not enough bacon drippings, (bad artery clogging stuff, but delicious) I really don't think the vidalia would matter much.

My grandparents came from Bavaria and although I have eaten my weight in hot "Deutch Kartofel" salad, I have never had any cold GERMAN potato salad. Must be a northern German dish.

But on the issue of cold American potato salad, try this once.

Cook as many potatoes as eggs. (The ratio is important in this dish)

Don't cool eggs and potatoes slice them and mix with a generous amount of chopped vidalia onion and add Hellmann mayonaise....generously. Serve right away, not chilled. (Good chilled too)

This is a simple, really yummy potato salad. Resist the urge to add celery, mustard, capers, or ANYTHING else. Just make a little and get back to me.

[Donna]

Gracie,
I make my potato salad like your recipe...My friends go nuts! :bigthumbsup:

[Boomer]

gg,

Bavaria R Us, too. (Well, I am actually quite the melting pot, all on my own. But that's
another story. -- But the German part is Bavaria.)

And I have never had cold German potato salad either. We even warm it up when it is leftover. So maybe it is the Bavaria thing.

(re. Bavaria, does anybody reading this happen to know whether the word "Bavaria" indicates anything about the age of a piece of china?)

Back to the real purpose of the forum -- One of the things that I think could turn out to be really fun and interesting about this recipe forum is that we can share regional favorites. I think there are some really good cooks here. (Boomer not included.)

But about those regional favorites, gg, nobody will believe that we put chili and cheese on top of our spaghetti. Chicago son-in-law used to make fun of us for our chili and spaghetti. But now he is hooked, too. And the people at the local Skyline, where he started going for lunch every day when he worked nearby, just got his order ready the minute he walked in the door. Did not even have to ask him. That's how hooked he got. Hah!

And I have always wondered if my not being able to eat sloppy Joes or barbecue sandwiches without putting coleslaw on top is more about being from southern Ohio.

Boomer

[graciegirl]

"And I have always wondered if my not being able to eat sloppy Joes or barbecue sandwiches without putting coleslaw on top is more about being from southern Ohio.

Why of course Boom. It is the RIGHT thing to do!

[graciegirl]

Here in Ohio we cannot see anyone wed, buried, have a first Communion, rally, horseshoe throw or bachelorette party without eating Johnny Marzetti cassarole, before during or later.

I will give you my recipe if you give me yours.

P.S. It is NOT Italian and certainly not German and has a bunch of brown sugar in it.

[redwitch]

Quit hijacking this thread!!! I really need/want/desire red cabbage recipes. I gave Donna my cold potato salad recipe on another thread. sheesh!!!!

BTW -- I was born in Nuremberg (southern Germany). My godmother made the hot potato salad. My mother was born in Leipzig (now part of Poland, but then was eastern, southern Germany) and raised in Berlin and she made the cold. So, maybe it is a regional thing. Personally, I love the cold -- slightly Americanized.

[graciegirl]

Guiltily dragging my feet with my head down and restoring the hi jacked thread to my sweet friend Redwitch.

German red cabbage. Cook in slow oven. 300 or slower.
Ingredients
large red cabbage
4-5 cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped small
2 medium onions, chopped small
1 clove garlic, chopped very small
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg.
� teaspoon ground cinnamon
� teaspoon ground cloves
3 level tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons wine vinegar
generous pat of butter
salt and pepper



First discard the tough outer leaves of the cabbage, cut it into quarters and remove the hard stalk. Then shred the rest of the cabbage finely, using your sharpest knife (although you can shred it in a food processor, I prefer to do it by hand: it doesn't come out so uniform). Next, in a fairly large casserole, arrange a layer of shredded cabbage seasoned with salt and pepper, then a layer of chopped onions and apples with a sprinkling of garlic, spices and sugar. Continue with these alternate layers until everything is in.

Now pour in the wine vinegar, lastly add dots of butter on the top. Put a tight lid on the casserole and let it cook very slowly in the oven for 2-2� hours, stirring everything around once or twice during the cooking. Red cabbage, once cooked, will keep warm without coming to any harm, and it will also re-heat very successfully. And, yes, it does freeze well so, all in all, it's a real winner of a recipe.

[renielarson]

gracie

I'm going to try that red cabbage recipe. Over the years I tried making it but it never tasted right and I'd always be disappointed.

I have a question...I've never cooked with wine vinegar but I seem to think there are many different types. If so, what kind should I buy?

I'm looking forward to giving this recipe a try and want to make sure I have the right ingredients.

Thanks!

[redwitch]

Gracie, I LOVE you. This sounds the closest to Mom's I've found in the 20 years I've been hunting. Only thing missing is the cinnamon sticks (I think). THANK YOU!!!!

Can't wait to find an excuse to fix it. Guess Jess will have to come to dinner soon.

[redwitch]

BTW -- Feel free to hijack away now that I have a recipe. rofl

[uujudy]

Here in Ohio we cannot see anyone wed, buried, have a first Communion, rally, horseshoe throw or bachelorette party without eating Johnny Marzetti cassarole, before during or later.

I will give you my recipe if you give me yours.

P.S. It is NOT Italian and certainly not German and has a bunch of brown sugar in it.


I'm lurking and waiting with my mouth watering.... Johnny Marzetti? We moved away from Ohio when I was in high school, but I still remember Johnny Marzetti day in the cafetieria! I love Johnny Marzetti! YUM! 040 040 040

[graciegirl]

Johnny Marzetti is always good and each Ohio home fixes it in a slightly different way. Here is how I fix it, but I would love to hear other recipes for it.

Brown a pound or so of ground beef with a goodly amount of chopped onion.
Add either a can of tomato sauce or a can of tomatoes.
Add about a half cup of brown sugar packed, a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce, a teaspoon of prepared mustard and about a tablespoon of vinegar. Cook until well blended, ten or so minutes. Salt and pepper wouldn't hurt.

Meanwhile cook some noodles or macaroni. (1/2 a regular package) Drain and add to the red sauce, At this time you can continue in the skillet or dump into a casserole dish.
Top with several slices of American cheese, enough to cover the whole thing and a generous amount of Parmesan cheese. You can serve it from the skillet or reheat the casserole if you make it ahead of time. A salad and some good bread and you are in Ohio again.

[renielarson]

The Marzetti recipe sounds very close to what I remember as a little girl in Kansas and what my mom called Goulash. YUM...what wonderful memories!

Gracie...when I make sloppy joes, I always add a bit of vinegar and sugar plus a pinch of allspice...so good and with a Swedish twist!

[uujudy]

Gracie, THANK YOU!
I will try your recipe as soon as the weather gets cold again! (It's not really a hot weather dish, is it?)
THANK YOU! YUM! :#1: :clap2: