This particular specimen was a little larger than a tennis ball in size and at this young age the outer leaves are a deep purple-black and inside a much more vibrant purple.
The colour is driven by a pigment called anthocyanin within the cabbage that reacts to the soil's pH - acidic soils give you these red colourings. If you don't like to eat red cabbage you could always use it to make your own pH indicator, something the home gardener might find handy.
I won't be conducting chemistry experiments with this one though, I'll be making a really quick and colourful side dish of buttered red cabbage with a dash of aged Balsamic to help maintain the colour and add a tinge of acidic sweetness to the dish.
Buttered Red Cabbage
1 Baby Red Cabbage
1 red onion, finely sliced
butter
salt and pepper
balsamic vinegar
1 Baby Red Cabbage
1 red onion, finely sliced
butter
salt and pepper
balsamic vinegar
Cook the onions:
Place a little olive oil and a small knob of butter into a pan over a low heat, when the butter has melted, toss in the finely sliced onions and allow them to slowly soften and just start to colour.
Prepare the Cabbage:
Remove the outer leaves and discard. Cut the cabbage in half, remove the core and then slice as finely as possible. Wash the sliced cabbage and drain very well.
Add some more butter to the onions and toss in the cabbage - stirring constantly to ensure it's mixed well. This will only take a few minutes to cook, you just want the cabbage to wilt but not loose all its crunch. When it's almost ready, drizzle over with Aged Balsamic, taste and season with freshly ground sea salt and white pepper. Continue cooking until the cabbage has a glossy sheen. Remove from the heat and serve at once.
This is a great accompaniment to all grilled meats, it goes especially well with beef, duck and venison.
More Cabbage Goodness:
Pickled Cabbage
Prosciutto and Cabbage Salad
Japanese Savoury Pancake
Pizzoccheri Valtellina
I love red cabbage. Actually I love the red version of all vegetables. I have this plan someday to grow only red versions of everything--but my husband has vetoed it.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds absolutely fantastic to me. I adore red cabbage, and simply braised is one of my favorite ways to have it. I bet this is delicious!
ReplyDeleteI love the simplicity of this dish. I'll have to try it very soon.
ReplyDeletePaz
I love the photos - particularly the first one. And yes, I too love red cabbage cooked this way.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous. I love red cabbage, and I have some growing in my garden this year. I've never grown it before, so hopefully it will be a success. I think cabbage is great no matter how you eat it, this looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteThanks MM - sounds like a fun thing to do!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ricki - it certainly hits the right notes
Thanks Paz!
Thanks Spice!
Thanks Kalyn - cabbage is great as long as it isn't overcooked!
Yum, yum, yum!!!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE cabbage, especially with pork chops.
http://www.tomatokumato.com
Thanks Emily!
ReplyDelete