November PhatFiber Contribution

The November PhatFiber Box's theme is 'Home For The Holidays'.  Well, one of my favorite things about spending holiday dinners with my family was getting to eat some of my Grandma Ruth's red cabbage.  In honor of her, I hand dyed some super-soft, squishy merino wool top in the colors of one of my favorite holiday dishes:

Thanksgiving was the only time of the year that Grandma Ruth would cook this dish and she'd always be sure to make a big enough batch that she'd have enough left over to freeze for Christmas Eve dinner.  Sadly, Grandma Ruth is no longer with us and I've taken to making this side dish for myself when the holidays come around.  I thought that I'd share her recipe with my Phat friends with a few of my personal adjustments to her classic (you should feel extra special - she never shared her recipes with anyone!):

GRANDMA RUTH'S HOLIDAY RED CABBAGE - serves 8-12 people
1/2 lb. diced bacon (I'm convinced that she added extra - mine never tastes as 'baconie' as hers did!)
2 medium onions, chopped (I VERY thinly slice mine into rounds)
4 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and shredded
10 cups shredded red cabbage (about 4 lbs.)
3/4 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

• In a large, heavy saucepan, cook the bacon, onion and apples until onions are very soft.
• Add cabbage and cook for 10 minuntes over medium heat until the cabbage wilts.
• Add the rest of the ingredients, reduce heat to low, cover & cook for 20 min. The cabbage should be moist, but not too juicy.  Remove the lid near the end of the cooking time to cook off some of the liquid if need be.
• Give it a nibble to see if your vinegar, sugar or spices need adjusting.  This is where it comes down to taste...

Grandma always cooked this up at least one day ahead of time because she insisted that it was better leftover (just like chili and lasagna).  Also, unless you're feeding an army of people or making enough to freeze, you might want to cut this recipe in half.  Enjoy!

I hope you have a happy holiday with your friends and loved ones!
Deb :)