Friday, July 31, 2009

Mama Griff's Rotkrautsalat

Those of you who know me, know that I love to make red cabbage salad, especially in the summer. Red cabbage (here: Rotkraut) is very good for you, especially raw. It is a great source of Vitamin C, among other nutrients, and apparently may also help prevent Alzheimer's Disease. As with Brussels sprouts and Lima beans, many people associate the thought of cabbage with an image of their mothers forcing them to clean their plates on pain of receiving no dessert. However, red cabbage can be surprisingly tasty, as I have discovered over the last year or so. The dish below is a great side dish to bring to cookouts, potlucks, and dinner parties. You can experiment with it and see what you like best. I have made versions of this salad that include pearl onions, carrots (see photo), and even raw Brussels Sprouts. I have used different kinds of vinegars and different kinds of wine. I've made vegetarian versions and versions with fatty German Dörrfleisch. I've gone with caraway seeds and without. Play around with the below recipe to your heart's content - and put the leftovers in the fridge for tomorrow's lunch!


Mama Griff's Rotkrautsalat
(serves 6)
Ingredients:
  • 5 slices bacon (or Dörrfleisch)
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • 2 tbsp. vinegar (I prefer apple cider vinegar)
  • 1/4 c. white wine
  • 1/2 head red cabbage, shredded
  • 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 1/2 tsp. (kosher) salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1 tsp. caraway seeds
  • 1/2-1 whole medium onion, chopped (depending on how "oniony" you like your salads)
  • 1-2 sliced carrots or 4-6 shredded Brussel sprouts, raw (optional)
Fry the bacon until very crisp. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel. (I usually take the opportunity to do most of my peeling, chopping, and shredding while the bacon is frying.) Reduce heat. Stir sugar, vinegar, and wine into bacon drippings and heat gently, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved. Gently sauté onions in this mixture for 1-2 minutes, or until onions look slightly transluscent. (For flavor, you can also keep the onions raw, but be ready for onion-burps the rest of the night!) Pour the mixture over the cabbage (and other raw veggies, if using). Then toss with oil, salt, pepper, and caraway seeds. (Some people don't like caraway seeds, i.e., Kümmel, but I think they really contribute to the flavor of the salad.) Finally, crumble the bacon and spread over salad.

Voila, you're done! Dig in, and enjoy!

1 comment:

  1. Kümmel is a MUST. If you don't like the taste, eat a couple of seeds before or after the Rotkrautsalat. It really helps with the digestion of any cabbage or legume. Just as the saying goes: "Beans, beans, the musical fruit, the more you eat, the more you t**t." And that's what the Kümmel prevents.

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