Red Cabbage

A plain sweet-sour red cabbage of the German-American kind, thickened at the end with a spoonful of flour. Nearly everything here still works; the cooking time is the one thing worth reconsidering.

• Add the vinegar late, but know what it doesRed cabbage owes its color to anthocyanins, which turn a dull blue-grey in alkaline or plain water and snap back to red in acid. Boiling it two hours in water alone will drab it; a tablespoon of the vinegar added at the start keeps the color bright without softening the final sweet-sour balance.
• Two hours is a long boilShredded cabbage is tender in 30 to 45 minutes of gentle simmering. The longer time here produces a very soft, almost jammy texture, along with a stronger sulfurous smell. Cook to the texture you want rather than to the clock.
• ShorteningHere this most likely means hydrogenated vegetable shortening or lard. Butter, bacon fat or a neutral oil all work; bacon fat is close to the German versions that start with cured pork fat.
• The flour needs to go in wetWhisk the tablespoon of flour into the half cup of cold water to a smooth slurry before it touches the pot, then stir it in with the vinegar and sugar. Dropped in dry it will lump irretrievably in the hot liquid.
• Keep the pan covered and topped upThe instruction to replace water as it cooks down suggests an uncovered pot; the recipe says nothing about a lid. A lid and low heat largely remove the need to top up; check once or twice and add a splash only if the pan threatens to go dry.
• Pan materialCast iron and unlined aluminum react with the acid and will dull both the color and the flavor. Use stainless steel or enameled cast iron.
• Balance before servingHalf a cup each of vinegar and sugar is assertive. Taste after the final five minutes of boiling and adjust with more sugar or a little salt; the recipe calls for no salt at all, and it needs some.
• YieldA medium head gives about six side-dish servings. This is a vegetable dish rather than a meal on its own; it is usually served with pork, sausage, duck or potato dumplings.