Chef Thomas
Baked Onions with Cream and Thyme
Whole onions surrendered to a low oven with cream and thyme until they collapse into something golden, sweet and yielding, the kind of side dish that quietly upstages everything else on the table.
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Braised Red Cabbage with Apple and Spice
Created by Chef Thomas
Red cabbage braised with Bramley apple, vinegar, and warm spice until it turns soft and glossy and the kitchen smells like the kind of cold evening you want to come home to.
Side Dishes
British
Comfort Food
Make Ahead
Christmas
20 min
Active Time
1 hr 30 min cook•1 hr 50 min total
Yield6 servings
The first time the year turns properly cold, not the half-hearted chill of early autumn but the real thing, the sort that makes the kitchen window fog from whatever's on the hob, I reach for a red cabbage. It's instinct by now. The dense weight of it in your hand at the market, that satisfying thud on the chopping board. You halve it and the colour inside is extraordinary: deep purple, almost indigo, with pale veins running through like a geological cross-section.
This isn't a quick dish, but it asks almost nothing of you. Shred the cabbage, chop the apples, toss everything into a pot with vinegar and spice, put the lid on, and leave it alone. An hour and a half later the kitchen smells of cinnamon and warm vinegar and something faintly Christmassy, and the cabbage has turned from a raw, crunchy thing into something soft and glossy and deeply, deeply good. It's the kind of cooking I like best: quiet transformation through patience.
This belongs next to roast pork. It always has. The sweetness of the apple and spice against the fat and salt of the crackling is one of those pairings that nobody needed to invent because it simply is. But it's also right beside a roast chicken, a piece of grilled sausage, or a slab of good cheese with bread. I wrote it down in the notebook years ago: cabbage, apple, spice, cold night. I haven't improved on those notes since.
Make it the day before if you can. It improves with time. The flavours settle and deepen overnight, and reheating it gently the next day is one of those small kitchen pleasures that costs you nothing.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
red cabbage
Quantity
1 medium (about 1kg)
quartered and finely shredded
Bramley apples
Quantity
2
peeled, cored and roughly chopped
onion
Quantity
1 medium
halved and thinly sliced
unsalted butter
Quantity
30g
red wine vinegar
Quantity
3 tablespoons
soft dark brown sugar
Quantity
2 tablespoons
cinnamon stick
Quantity
1
cloves
Quantity
3
star anise
Quantity
1
juniper berries
Quantity
4
lightly crushed
bay leaf
Quantity
1
water or light stock
Quantity
150ml
fine sea salt
Quantity
to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
unsalted butter
Quantity
knob, to finish
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| red cabbagequartered and finely shredded | 1 medium (about 1kg) |
| Bramley applespeeled, cored and roughly chopped | 2 |
| onionhalved and thinly sliced | 1 medium |
| unsalted butter | 30g |
| red wine vinegar | 3 tablespoons |
| soft dark brown sugar | 2 tablespoons |
| cinnamon stick | 1 |
| cloves | 3 |
| star anise | 1 |
| juniper berrieslightly crushed | 4 |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| water or light stock | 150ml |
| fine sea salt | to taste |
| black pepper | to taste |
| unsalted butter | knob, to finish |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy cast iron casserole with lid, or deep heavy-bottomed pan
- •Large chopping board
- •Sharp knife for shredding
Instructions
- 1
Soften the onion
Melt the butter in a heavy casserole or deep pan over a medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook gently for five minutes or so, stirring now and then, until it softens and turns translucent. It shouldn't colour. You're building a quiet, sweet base here, not looking for caramelisation.
A cast iron casserole with a tight-fitting lid is ideal. It holds the heat steadily and everything braises evenly without fuss. - 2
Build the braise
Add the shredded cabbage, apple, vinegar, sugar, and all the spices. Toss everything together with your hands or a couple of wooden spoons until the cabbage is coated and the vinegar has turned it a brighter, almost electric purple. Pour in the water or stock, season with a good pinch of salt and several grinds of pepper, and bring it to a gentle simmer.
The vinegar is essential, not just for flavour, but for colour. Without it, the cabbage will cook down to a dull grey. The acid keeps it vivid. Don't skip it. - 3
Braise low and slow
Put the lid on, turn the heat to the lowest setting your hob will manage, and let it cook for an hour and a half. Check it every thirty minutes or so, give it a stir, and add a splash of water if it looks dry, though it shouldn't need much. You can also do this in a low oven, around 150C/130C fan, which is more forgiving if you get distracted. The cabbage is ready when it's soft, silky, and has collapsed to roughly a third of its original volume. It will smell of Christmas even if it's October.
- 4
Season and finish
Fish out the cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves, and bay leaf. Stir in a knob of butter and let it melt through. Taste it. This is the moment that matters. It should be sweet but sharp, warm but not cloying. If it needs more vinegar, add a splash. More sugar, a pinch. More salt, almost certainly. Season and taste. Then taste again. The cabbage should be glossy, deeply coloured, and tender enough that it barely holds its shape.
Chef Tips
- •Use Bramley apples if you can find them. They collapse into the cabbage as it cooks, thickening the liquor and adding a tart sweetness that eating apples can't match. If you can't get Bramleys, any sharp cooking apple will do.
- •This is better the next day. Make it ahead, let it cool, refrigerate it overnight, and reheat gently on the hob. The flavour deepens and the texture softens further. It's one of those rare dishes that actively rewards you for not eating it immediately.
- •The spices are a framework, not a rule. I use cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and juniper because that's what my kitchen has settled on over the years. A few allspice berries work. A strip of orange peel is good. A splash of port or red wine instead of some of the water brings richness on a special occasion. Your kitchen, your rules.
- •Leftovers, if there are any, are very good cold on a sandwich with leftover roast pork and a smear of mustard. This is worth knowing.
Advance Preparation
- •Best made a day ahead. Cool, refrigerate, and reheat gently on the hob the next day. The flavour is noticeably deeper.
- •Keeps well in the fridge for up to five days. Reheat with a splash of water and a knob of butter.
- •Freezes well for up to three months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat slowly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 200g)
Calories
155 calories
Total Fat
7 g
Saturated Fat
4 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
2 g
Cholesterol
15 mg
Sodium
430 mg
Total Carbohydrates
25 g
Dietary Fiber
5 g
Sugars
16 g
Protein
3 g
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