92. BRAISED RED CABBAGE with APPLES and BACON

serves six


3 strips bacon
1 small yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium head red cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 tart apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1/2 cup apple cider
4 whole cloves
1/3 cup sugar
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large, deep skillet or kettle, fry the bacon. Leave the drippings in the pan and drain the bacon on paper towels. Crumble the bacon and set it aside for garnish. Saute the onion in the fat until limp and brown. Toss the shredded cabbage with the vinegar, then add this, along with the remaining ingredients except the salt and pepper, to the pot and simmer, uncovered, until the cabbage is bright and tender (it should not get soggy), about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve garnished with the crumbled bacon.


courtesy of: Savoring the Seasons of the Northern Heartland: 200 Recipes Blending Bold, New Flavors with the Traditional Foods of the Upper Midwest by Beth Dooley and Lucia Watson. New York: Knopf, 1994, p. 271.