Recipe for the most delicious homemade red cabbage with currant juice. Homemade red cabbage with apple tastes really nice for Christmas dinner. Just sweet and sharp enough to go with duck, roast and gravy! It is actually incredibly easy to make your own red cabbage, because most of the time it takes care of itself. You just have to follow my homemade red cabbage recipe, and then it will work.
You just have to make sure to set aside a few hours for it to sit and enjoy on the stove. You can easily make the red cabbage a few days before you want to use it – it only gets better from sitting and infusing, and then there is a smaller Christmas Eve day.
Homemade red cabbage: a festive side dish
Homemade red cabbage, known as “rødkål” in Denmark, is a classic and colorful side dish that is especially popular during the holiday season. This sweet and tangy dish is made by cooking red cabbage with a blend of spices, vinegar, and often apples or currants, creating a vibrant accompaniment to many traditional Danish meals.
The preparation of homemade red cabbage usually starts with finely shredding the cabbage. It is then sautéed in butter or oil until it softens and begins to caramelize. Adding ingredients such as apple slices, sugar, vinegar, and spices like cloves and bay leaves enhances the flavor profile, giving the dish its characteristic sweet and sour taste. The combination of these ingredients creates a beautiful balance that complements rich meats, particularly during festive occasions.
Cooking red cabbage is a slow process that allows the flavors to develop fully, often simmering for an hour or more. This makes it a great dish to prepare ahead of time, as the flavors continue to meld and improve when reheated.
Homemade red cabbage is not only a delicious addition to holiday dinners but also a nutritious one, packed with vitamins and antioxidants. Its vibrant color adds a festive touch to any table setting, making it a favorite among both family and guests.
Enjoyed alongside roasted meats, such as pork or duck, or even as a topping for open-faced sandwiches, rødkål is a cherished part of Danish culinary tradition. Its sweet and tangy flavor, along with its beautiful appearance, makes it a staple during the Christmas season and throughout the year.
Homemade red cabbage
Ingredients
Instructions
Homemade red cabbage
First cut the head of red cabbage, then into quarters and then cut the cabbage into strips. Cut off the white stem and do not use it. Put the red cabbage in a pot and add apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, apple juice, jelly and salt.
Heat the pot until it starts to boil around the red cabbage, stir and turn down the heat so that the cabbage is just simmering. Let it cook over low heat for an hour and taste the cabbage to see if you need to add a little extra salt or cane sugar.
Let the red cabbage continue to cook for another hour over low heat. Remove the lid so that some of the liquid can evaporate. Taste the red cabbage again and also give it a little pepper.
Before serving the red cabbage, stir in a spoonful of duck fat. This gives extra flavor and makes the red cabbage nice and shiny. Store the red cabbage in the refrigerator if you are not going to use it right away.
Homemade red cabbage with currant juice
The red cabbage should have both acidity and sweetness. I use apple cider vinegar and balsamic vinegar, and sweetness from jam, e.g. blackcurrant jelly or currants, and maybe a spoonful of cane sugar. I also add apple juice, which is both a little sour and sweet.
I have seen people use currant juice, but I find that homemade red cabbage with currant juice is a little harder to come by than regular currant jelly. You can easily replace the currant jelly with currant juice, however. It gives the same great taste.
I also don’t add any special spices, because I like the taste of red cabbage best…red cabbage. But of course you are free to add a cinnamon stick, a few star anise, a teaspoon of cloves, a few bay leaves or orange peel – I just don’t think it is necessary.
Homemade red cabbage recipe
The red cabbage is quite large when you have cut it out, but the recipe doesn’t make a huge portion, because the cabbage collapses a lot during cooking. I usually use one half of the red cabbage head for this cooked red cabbage, and the other half for a crunchy fresh red cabbage salad, which is a wonderful addition to dinner. Both are really nice to eat as leftovers the next day.
In general, you can eat homemade red cabbage for many other occasions than Christmas Eve! An absolute classic is of course a pork roast sandwich with homemade burger buns, but also, for example, this recipe for oven-roasted chicken with garlic and potatoes or chicken meatballs.
Homemade red cabbage with apple
I don’t add fresh apple when I make a batch of homemade red cabbage. Instead, I use a completely classic apple cider vinegar, which gives the same great taste. Some people like to cut an apple into small cubes and stir it in, and you can easily do that too. The good thing about this homemade red cabbage recipe is that you can vary it as you wish.
Homemade red cabbage shelf life
There are several things that can affect the shelf life of such a portion of homemade red cabbage. First, I would recommend that you store it in a scalded glass. This extends the shelf life by a few weeks.
My starting point is that such a portion can last 2-4 weeks in the refrigerator. You can therefore make it in advance and then just heat it up before dinner. That way you also make it a little extra easy for yourself. Remember, however, that the shelf life of homemade red cabbage depends on how hygienically you store it.
Is it healthy to eat red cabbage? There are a lot of good vitamins and minerals in red cabbage. It is particularly high in vitamin K and C, which helps strengthen our bones and immune system.
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