VegBox Recipes

Red Cabbage

Red cabbage is actually nearer purple in colour.

It has a sweeter flavour than plain white cabbage, though not as strong as savoy.

In Season?: Red cabbage should be in season all year round, luckily for us!
Buy?: Red cabbage lasts for ages, so you shouldn't have a problem with it going off in your veg box. Choose cabbages that feel firm and whose outer leaves are still crisp, rather than shrivelled.
Store?: Store in a cool, dark cupboard for a week or two. It will keep for longer in the fridge, but the flavour doesn't seem to be as good.
Cook?: Wash the leaves well, to remove any mud and bugs.

Then you can slice finely to use in salads or coleslaw.

If cooking, steam it lightly, so it's still crunchy. This gives you maximum taste and vitamin content. If you over-cook cabbage, it gets smelly - remember those old school dinners?!

One of the easiest ways to cook it is to steam it, finely sliced, for 5 minutes, with some grated nutmeg.

Or you could try the red cabbage and apple recipe, which sweetens it and persuades even fussy eaters to give it a go.

More Red Cabbage Information

Red cabbage is a good source of iron, vitamin C and calcium, as well as being packed with other vitamins and minerals.

The nutrients are best enjoyed either raw or lightly cooked. So over-boiled red cabbage isn't as good for you as lightly steamed or raw cabbage.

Did you know...?

If red cabbage is grown on an alkaline soil, it has a blue colour. If grown on an acidic soil, it has a more reddish colour...

Red Cabbage & Apple
If you're finding it tough to get your family to eat red cabbage, then this recipe is for you.
Ingredients Serves 4 as a side dish 1 medium red cabbage (or ½ large one) 1 large apple (peeled, if you prefer) ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon brown sugar ½ mug water 1 dessertspoon vegetable oil
Method Slice the cabbage finely. Cut the apple into quarters, remove the core and slice finely or grate. Heat the oil and add the cabbage. Stir and sautï¿½ for 5 minutes. Add the cinnamon, sugar, apple and the water. Stir regularly as you simmer it for 5 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated.
Cupboard-To-Table 15 minutes

Suggested Red cabbage Recipes

Aoki Sweetcorn & Chilli Butternut Squash: I discovered this delicious recipe when I was living with a Japanese family in Argentina! It seems to be a mix of both cultures. It works well with squashes or pumpkin and is delicious served with the red cabbage salad. You can use pumpkin instead of squash, if you prefer.
Black Nero Cabbage Soup: I must confess I never thought I would fall for "cabbage soup"!

So I was really surprised by how delicious this recipe is. Even my toddler came back for third helpings, which is unheard of...

Note: you can use kale or Savoy cabbage, too.
Coleslaw: Home-made coleslaw is quick, delicious and easy. It's just a case of grating / slicing the ingredients and mixing them with the dressing.
Jam-Packed Summer Vegetable Risotto: This ruby-red risotto not only looks stunning but tastes amazing AND it can be adapted to use whatever's in your box this week.
Mustard Cabbage: Wholegrain mustard transforms cabbage into an inspiring side-dish. By sautéing the cabbage in butter, rather than boiling, it tastes sweeter and less cabbage-like. So this recipe might even tempt devout cabbage-haters back to the dinner table.
Red Cabbage & Apple: If you're finding it tough to get your family to eat red cabbage, then this recipe is for you.
Spicy Cabbage Soup: You can use any type of cabbage for this recipe, so it’s a great way of using up leftovers. Spices are a good way of boosting your metabolic rate, which can get sluggish in winter, so this soup should leave you feeling full of energy.

Got one? Send us your recipe!

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