kryddat rödkål - Spiced red cabbage

Red Cabbage braised with apples, wine, and lingonberries. Delicious and vibrant, beautiful to look at and oh so yummy to eat.

Ingredients

2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter 

4 tart green apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled, cored, coarsely chopped 

1 large onion, thinly sliced 

2 pounds red cabbage, shredded 

1/4 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar 

2 tablespoons cider vinegar 

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 

1/3 cup dry red wine 

2 tablespoons lingonberry jam (you can use redcurrant jam or jelly instead)

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Add chopped apples and sliced onion and saute until soft.

Add cabbage, sugar, cider vinegar, cloves and allspice, red wine and jam.

Cook till tender. Season to taste.

Keeps for 2-3 days in the fridge - if you can keep your hands off it that is!

Cornbread

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup milk
1 large egg

Cornbread, shown here with my Sweet Hungarian Heat!

1 1/4 cups yellow, white or blue cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
1. Heat the oven to 200°c. Prepare a 8-inch square pan or 9-inch round cake pan with the cooking spray.
2. heat the butter over low heat until melted.
3. In a large bowl, beat the melted butter, milk and egg with a fork or wire whisk until well mixed. Add the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt all at once; stir just until the flour is moistened (batter will be lumpy). Pour batter into the pan; use a rubber spatula to scrape batter from bowl. Spread batter evenly in pan and smooth top of batter.
4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Serve warm.

Sweet Hungarian Heat - Chilli

I'm never sure if this is a goulash or a chilli. Either way I think it is delicious, and great for a cold night. Warming and hearty, enough heat to tickle your throat, but not enough to burn. A nice amount of sweetness to balance. Lovely with cornbread, crusty bread, or whatever takes your fancy.

Ingredients

3 large onions diced
3 cloves garlic finely diced/minced
2 large red capsicums sliced
1 red bullhorn chilli
1 Hungarian hot pepper or 2 jalapeno peppers
1 carrot finely diced (you can add celery here as well)
1 tbs hot Hungarian paprika
1 tbs sweet Hungarian paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
¼ -1/3 cup of brown sugar
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup of tomato paste
600g of gravy beef (or any beef suitable for slow cooking)
1 can of beans – borlotti, kidney, or black – or the equivalent in fresh cooked
Olive oil
Water or stock

This will take about 3 hours in a slow cooker – will take less on a stovetop.

1. Saute the onions and garlic till soft, add in carrots, peppers, and capsicum and soften. Put into the slow cooker.
2. Brown the beef and add in the hot and sweet paprika, cayenne pepper, and a good pinch of salt. Put into the slow cooker.
3. Take 1 cup of water or stock and pour it into the frypan you browned the beef in to lift all the remaining spices from the bottom of the pan and pour into the slow cooker. I also added in a handful of cherry tomatoes I had, they went well.
4. Add in the sugar and vinegar. Add enough extra water or stock to just cover the ingredients. Give it all a stir. Put the lid on and let it come to a simmer. Leave for an hour.
5. With any chilli this is the time now to make some adjustments – need some more heat? Add a bit more paprika or chilli. Want more sweetness? Add a bit more brown sugar. If you want a bit more zing a little drop more of vinegar until you have the balance you want. Cook for another hour then add in the beans and cook until done.