Classic red cabbage for Christmas dinner

Red cabbage is a classic side for Christmas dinner. Making it from scratch lets you decide the sweetness, seasoning and how much bite the cabbage should retain.

Homemade red cabbage

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 small red cabbage
• 100 ml duck fat or butter
• 200 ml balsamic vinegar
• 100 ml brown sugar
• 300 ml redcurrant juice
• 200 ml redcurrant jelly
• 1 tsp salt
• 10 dried figs, diced
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 apple, finely diced
• Seeds from 1 vanilla pod

Method

1. Cut the cabbage into quarters, remove the core and finely shred it.
2. Melt the duck fat or butter in a saucepan and add the cabbage. Add the vanilla seeds and empty pod.
3. Add the remaining ingredients, so the cabbage is just covered with liquid.
4. Cover and simmer gently for 30–40 minutes. Stir occasionally and season with salt.

A simple tip

Give ready-made red cabbage a more homemade flavour by simmering it with apple, a little duck fat and redcurrant jelly for around 15 minutes.