Red cabbage recipe brings to our table souvenir of "relax-acation”

We’d been home barely 24 hours and already were missing it big time. Hubby and I had ventured down to Fredericksburg to celebrate #42 wedding anniversary. We probably were among the last people in Texas to schedule a getaway to this charming little jewel of the Lone Star—the favorite travel destination of many a Texan. But better late than never—we spent three-and-a-half days immersed there on a relax-acation and adored every minute of it and adored every bite of food downed.

Which brings me to the point of today’s blog—the German cuisine scored big with us. After all, why make a trip to this delightful “burg” of German origins and not drown in German food? Made sense to us. We loved every bite of wienerschnitzel and hot German potato salad and potato pancakes. I wanted to replicate some of this food so we still could have a morsel of Fredericksburg with us.

In my “Celebrating a Healthy Harvest” cookbook I had an untried recipe for Simmered Red Cabbage. Hubby and I both had agreed that the red cabbage served with our wienerschnitzel (at the Auslander restaurant) was the best we’d ever sampled. So I pulled up my as-yet-unexplored recipe and set out to transport a little of Fredericksburg to our dinner table.

I don’t know how the little German ladies prepare this traditional dish, but I thought the recipe I had in my cookbook was pretty inventive. It called for cooking a cut-up onion in olive oil and then stirring in shredded red cabbage, brown sugar, beef broth, orange juice, cinnamon, and a peeled and chopped apple. This entire mixture simmers for 1-2 hours for maximum flavor. The apple and brown sugar gave the concoction a hint of sweetness.

Hubby, being the always-diplomatic and effusive mate that he is, ventured to say that our dish was better than what he sampled on our memory-maker trip. I wouldn’t go that far; the German ladies who daily turn out this dish for tourists have a zillion-more decades of history preparing it than I do. But my copycatting turned out pretty good, if I do say so.

Ah, Fredericksburg! With the red cabbage, the essence of this precious “honeymoon” spot can still hang around.

Simmered Red Cabbage

1 tablespoon cooking oil

1 medium onion, sliced in thin wedges

1 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

10 cups shredded red cabbage (1 medium head)

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 cup low-sodium beef broth

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 large apple, cored, peeled and chopped

Over medium heat place oil, onions, and salt in large pan; cook until onions are soft but not browned. Add cabbage to pan. Mix the brown sugar, broth, orange juice, and cinnamon together and pour over the cabbage. Add the chopped apple; stir, and simmer. When cabbage has wilted, stir completely and re-cover. For best flavor simmer on low for 1-2 hours. Makes 8 servings.