With colours and Canito in the kitchen

Do you know that red cabbage’s origins are strictly European? Cabbage and sour cabbage is a symbol of Central Europe. The Americans even called immigrants from the German and Austrian countries (and the Czechs) Krauts, therefore English speaking countries and language itself have taken over the word sauerkraut without a long search for their own name.

Cabbage leaves help heal wounds, various eczemas, rashes, or acne. Leaves are suitable not just for fresh wounds. Shortly fried leaves of cabbage were used by old herbalists as an effective relief for painful rheumatic muscles and joints. Without sour cabbage, the sailors would lost their teeth, the Chinese would not have built a Great Wall without it, and our grandparents would be left without vitamin C in the winter. Chewing of sour cabbage is even helping against paradontosis.

There are literally hundreds of varieties of cabbage grown worldwide. But of special interest in recent research studies have been cabbage varieties that fall into the red-purple category. It is the anthocyanin that have been the focus of these research studies. Impressively, the anthocyanins in red cabbage are a major factor in the ability of this cruciferous vegetable to provide cardiovascular protection, including protection of red blood cells. Blood levels of beta-carotene, lutein, and total blood antioxidant capacity have been found to improve along with red cabbage intake.

Red cabbage can be often used in salads, but it can also be cooked and served as a side dish to certain meat dishes. For example as I did it this time – with pork meat and potatoes aside.

What do you need for cabbage preparation:

1 red cabbage

1 apple

2 onions

1 tbls sugar

2 tbls butter

3 tbls flour 

1 tbls lemon

1 glass of red wine 

salt and pepper 

What is needed for the rest:

potatoes

1 kg pork meat (I used medallions)

ground cumin, chili powder, garlic salt

1 white onion

1 red onion

5 garlic cloves

oil 

Firstly, chop white and red onion into bigger pieces and put them into bigger baking tray. Add 2 spoons of oil and all spices. Mix it properly together. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Place pieces of pork into the tray and with using of brush, spread spices with oil on both sides of each pieces of meat. Crush garlic cloves on top of the meat. When done, put the baking tray into the oven and bake approximately 2 hours. At the beginning, cover the tray with aluminium for, leave it for 1 hour and afterwards remove it, so nice crust can appear on top of the meat.

While is meat getting ready in the oven, remove top leaves of cabbage and cut the hard part on the bottom of it. Afterwards, cut into small pieces. Take a bigger pot, put butter and fry chopped onion until golden. Add sugar (I put the brown sugar) at the end and afterwards, add grated cabbage. Stir it together with butter and onion, lower the fire, cover with lid and let it cook. Do not forget to stir it occasionally for about 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper into the pot and poor the red wine and cook it under the lid. If necessary, add water until it becomes soft. While cooking, peel the apple, grate it and add it into the pot. Afterwards, add flour, mix it and steam it under the lid until soft. If necessary, keep adding water. To finalize, we can add freshly squeezed lemon juice and sugar can be added if needed.

In mean time, peel potatoes and cook them in other pot until soft. When everything ready, you can serve!

Enjoy!

Vero & Canito