Red Cabbage
 

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!

Re: Red Cabbage
 

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

Re: Red Cabbage
 

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?

Re: Red Cabbage
 

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

Re: Red Cabbage
 

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

Re: Red Cabbage
 

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

Re: Red Cabbage
 

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.)

Re: Red Cabbage
 

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

Re: Red Cabbage
 

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

Re: Red Cabbage
 

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.

Re: Red Cabbage
 

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.. ;)

Re: Red Cabbage
 

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!!!!!!

Re: Red Cabbage
 

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

Re: Red Cabbage
 

I adore German potato salad.

Re: Red Cabbage
 

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??