Scandinavian and Mediterranean cuisine get more attention than Eastern Europe.
We must have to thank the fact that neither Anne Applebaum nor Danielle Crittenden are cookbook writers for the creation of From a Polish Country House Kitchen, 90 Recipes for the Ultimate Comfort Food (Chronicle Books, November 2012).
Recipe below can serve as a vegetarian side dish if you substitute vegetable stock for chicken stock.
Red Cabbage with Cranberries
Czerwona Kapusta z ŹurawinĄ
Serves 4 to 6
If green cabbage doesn’t get enough respect, then red cabbage doesn’t get enough attention. This is pretty much the only thing I ever serve with Venison Noisettes, but it would go equally well with duck breast.
Leftovers can be used in the duck pierogi recipe.
1 large head red cabbage
3 tbsp unsalted butter
½ cup/120 ml dry red wine
¾ cup/180 ml chicken stock
¼ tsp ground cloves
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
¼ cup/30 g dried cranberries
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Core the cabbage and chop roughly.
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, melt 1 tbsp of the butter over medium heat and cook the cabbage until softened, but do not brown (or it will become bitter). Add the wine, chicken stock, and cloves. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes; the cabbage should be tender.
Melt the remaining 2 tbsp butter (you can do this in a small bowl in the microwave) and mix in the flour to create a paste. Stir it into the cabbage, add the cranberries, and continue to cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes, until everything is tender and thickened. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Variation: You can make this same recipe with fresh or frozen (and thawed) red currants instead of cranberries, though you will need to sprinkle in some sugar to taste when you add the currants.
(* Recipe from From a Polish Country House Kitchen- Chronicle Books, Fall 2012- by Anne Applebaum and Danielle Crittenden, Reprinted with permission of the publisher)