German Red Cabbage

Recipe by Auntie Helen Glaser

One of my fondest memories as a kid growing up were the times I spent at Auntie Helen and Uncle Al's farm in California's Dry Creek Valley. Dry Creek never really dried up, in fact had an annual run of steelhead that my cousin George and I would try to "gig" on occasion (never successfully of course). But, the highlight of my visits were the wonderful meals that graced Auntie Helen's kitchen. Her red cabbage remains a nostalgic favorite. She writes, "Al's mother introduced this recipe to us. Our family loves it with turkey at Christmas and with roast pork."

Ingredients

1 head red cabbage
¼ cup sugar
1 dozen chestnuts
3 diced apples
3 Tb bacon fat or 3 slices bacon, diced
1 pinch salt
1 dash cinnamon
½ cup white vinegar
Raisins (optional)

Directions

Shred cabbage as for slaw.
Put bacon fat or diced bacon slices in saucepan and allow it to melt or cook down.
Add cabbage, vinegar, salt, sugar, apples and cinnamon. Cover and cook slowly, stirring occasion ally for 1 ½ hours. Taste for salt and sugar, adding as required.
If you have chestnuts, clean them and add them to mixture after it has cooked for about one-half hour (in other words, the chestnuts should cook for about one hour).

Notes

To prepare the chestnuts, cut a slit in each shell; place in water and bring to a boil. Boil for 4 minutes. Cool and peel both the tough outer shell and the brown inner layer.