Easy Dutch red cabbage with apples and pumpkin spice
Red cabbage with apples is a classic Dutch side dish, often gracing the table in the colder months. With its vibrant color and comforting warmth from spices like cinnamon, star anise and cloves. My version takes it up a notch with the addition of orange juice and dates. Both add a layer of richness, making it ideal for cozy family gatherings especially for Thanksgivinsg and Christmas.
What to eat with red cabbage
This dish combines perfectly with a traditional Dutch stew. Authentically made from beef but I made this vegan, fatfree and Medical Medium version: Dutch mushroom stew with apple butter.
Other Dutch recipes
Do you like traditional Dutch cuisine? Than take a look at my Dutch kale ‘stamppot’ with shiitake mushrooms.
Ingredients
- Red cabbage – Use a fresh, whole red cabbage. Not pre-cut.
- Red onion – I like the taste of red onion. But a small onion or shallot are also fine.
- Apples – You can use any type of apple. Both ‘apple pie’ apples and the sweet and juicy ‘eating’ apples such as Fuji but also fresh sweet ones such as Granny Smith are fine.
- Oranges – Use regular squeeze oranges Medjool dates
- Medjoul dates – You get the best results with plump, full dates.
- Bay leaves, cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves – Instead of a stick you can use regular cinnamon. Leave out the other spices or replace with some nutmeg (not too much), fennel seeds or cardamom.
FAQ’s
No, it’s ok to peel them but you can leave the skin on as well. Make sure the apples are bio and clean them with baking soda.
The slices don’t have to be as thin as with cabbage salad. You can you a mandolin, but slicing with a knife is thin enough.
Yes, it needs to simmer for a long time to get soft and take in all the flavors. So you need to start early for preparation. But it it doesn’t need a lot of actual work. Let the stove work for you.
It is paleo, but needs some adjustments for AIP: do not use star anise. The little balls that inside the star are seeds. Cloves ate flower buds and cinnamon is bark. So those are both ok!
Yes! It’s both vegan and Medical Medium.
Dutch red cabbage with apples and pumpkin spice
This recipe may contain
affiliate linksEquipment
- cooking pot
Ingredients
- 1 red cabbage
- 2 small red onions
- 3 apples
- 3 oranges
- 6 Medjoul dates
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 star anise
- 6 cloves
For AIP paleo and free from seeds
- NO star anise
Instructions
Prep
- Remove the 2 outer leaves of the cabbage. Cut the cabbage in half and remove the harder white part (and stem if still attached). Slice thinly.
- Juice the oranges. Add water to the juice fill up 1 cup in total.
- Chop one onion I to small pieces.
- The other onion stays in one piece, just remove the outer layer. Shove the cloves I to the onion. That way you do t have to search for them kater, and nobody will incidentally bite on them.
- If you have small, broken pieces of star anise: do the same. Whole or half stars can be found rather easily, no worries there.
Cooking
- Add the juice, the cabbage and the cut onion to a pot, bring to a soft boil. Add the bay leaves, cinnamon stick and star anise.
- Cut the dates in small pieces and add. Stir.
- Place the onion with the cloves on top. Wiggle and press it down until is covered.
- Led it simmer for 1 hour with the lid on.
- Wash the apples and cut in pieces.
- Remove the onion. Count the remaining cloves. If less then put in, not much harm us done, but best to warn your guests.
- Add in the apples and stir. Let simmer for another 15 minutes.
- Remove cinnamon stick and all the bay leaves and star anise you can find.
Did you make this recipe or do you have any questions? Just leave a comment!