Blaukraut: Germany's Most Famous Vegetable Dish

-
Blaukraut Recipe:
1x red cabbage, thinly sliced, outer leaves/white pieces removed
1x yellow onion, grated
2x sweet apples, peeled, grated
120g butter
80g red or black currant jam
40ml red wine vinegar
175ml + 35ml port wine
175ml + 35ml + 7ml, vegetable stock
1x turkish bay leaf
1x allspice, whole
2x cloves, whole
4x juniper berries, whole
6g salt
7g cornstarch
-core and quarter the cabbage
-remove outer leaves one or two layers deep, removing any large veins
-slice the cabbage thinly on a mandolin, remove any large white pieces
-grind in a mortar and pestle the allspice, cloves, and juniper berries
-grate the onion on a box grater into a bowl
-add butter to a hot pan
-once the butter is sizzling, add the grated onion and cook it down well, approx 4-5min
-add the cabbage and salt, then sweat down on medium high heat for approx 5-7min, stirring regularly
-while the cabbage is sweating, peel your apples and grate them on a box grater into a bowl
-add to the cabbage the grated apple, red wine vinegar, red currant jam, bay leaf, and spices
-stir well and cook for 1-2 more minutes
-add the 175ml of port wine and vegetable stock, bring it to the boil and then cover and reduce the heat to low
-simmer with with lid on for 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally
-add the 35ml of port wine and vegetable stock, then simmer with the lid on for another hour
-in the last ten minutes, mix 7ml of cold or room temperature vegetable stock and cornstarch, then add to the braise
-season with salt as needed
Notes:
-Please remain attentive when operating a mandolin. Make sure it is supported well and constantly watch your fingers. The most injuries to happen in a kitchen occur not from a knife, but from a mandolin. Slice your cabbage so that you get the longest and most even strips possible, slicing from the flat side innermost side of the cabbage first, not beginning on a rounded outermost piece.
-If while sweating down your cabbage you noticed you missed a few large white pieces, it's no problem, simply take them out. They won’t cook evenly and will remain bitter.
-Depending on your heat and pan size, the braise will reduce differently. If towards the end of your braise you notice the liquid is too runny, add a few grams more of the cornstarch slurry and cook another 5-10min. The consistency is most important, not that you used a specific amount of starch.
-Taste your cabbage around the two hour mark and make sure your heat is not too high. If it is too high, by the 2.5 hour mark the cabbage will have overcooked and become too soft. There should still be a bite, like an al dente pasta.
-Blaukraut, or Rotkohl, is a classic German side dish that accompanies a vast variety of dishes and can act as the vegetable component to be served alongside a meat and starch. It's versatile in that one can serve it as part of a dish, or simply family style.
-Using red or black currant jam will yield a hardly noticeable difference, but it is important to note. Red currant jam will result in a slightly more tangy flavour, while black currant jam will result in a slightly sweeter, robust flavour. Black currant jam goes with a dish that may have a slight element of spice, such as Hirschgulasch. Red currant jam goes best with a dish that has a higher fat content, such as Schweinshaxe.

[@natiim2813]

So fantastic