Red Cabbage with Apples and Bacon
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- 6 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 medium red cabbage (2½ pounds), quartered, cored, and thinly sliced crosswise
- 1 cup Homemade Beef Stock or canned reducedsodium beef broth
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ÂĽ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
This sweet-and-sour dish only gets better if made a day ahead. It’s equally at home with roast goose or pork.
- Cook the bacon with the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat, turning the bacon once, until crisp and browned, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spatula, transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain, leaving the bacon fat in the pot.
- Add the onion to the pot and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Add the apples and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the vinegar and brown sugar. Gradually stir in the red cabbage, then the beef stock, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cover and reduce the heat to mediumlow. Simmer until the cabbage is very tender, about 45 minutes. (The cabbage can be made up to 1 day ahead, cooled, covered, and refrigerated. Reheat gently over medium-low heat.) Chop the bacon and stir it into the cabbage. Serve hot.