With a new cookbook devoted to casual entertaining, Amy Thielen is in good 'Company'

Citrusy Braised Red Cabbage

Serves 8

I learned to make this dish from some crazy Austrian chefs who were not afraid to reduce two bottles of very good Blaufränkish to make braised red cabbage. In their hands, this traditionally rustic dish was so saturated and rich that it seemed to bleed out on the plate. They taught me that braised red cabbage balances on the top of three poles: sweetness from the caramelized onions and burnt sugar, acidity from the citrus juices, and dark, buttery earth from the reduced chicken stock, wine, and the cabbage itself. The cabbage needs to cook in this slurry for a long time, until it doesn’t have any spring left in it and turns wine- ​sodden red. Its intensity increases the longer it sits, so you can—​and should—​make it well in advance. And use half duck fat/half butter if you can get your hands on duck fat. To spin this dish Scandinavian, I add a handful of frozen lingonberries.

Ingredients 

• 1 large head red cabbage (4 pounds)
• ½ cup fresh tart orange or tangerine juice
• ½ cup fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon plus 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 large sweet onions, cut into small dice
• 6 tablespoons butter, plus more to taste
• 2 cups red wine
• 1½ cups chicken stock, preferably homemade (page 259)
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, plus more to taste
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 ⁄ 8 teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup fresh red lingonberries or red currants

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Shred the cabbage, aiming for strips the thickness of a nickel and 3 to 4 inches long. Put the cabbage in a large bowl and toss with the orange juice, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Massage the juices and salt into the cabbage and leave to sit while you caramelize the onions.

2. Heat a large enameled cast-​iron brasier or a wide high-​sided sauté pan over medium heat and sprinkle the sugar evenly across the bottom of the pan. When the sugar liquefies and browns, add the onions and butter and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are deeply caramelized, about 45 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Add the red wine to the onions and reduce until it clings to them, about 15 minutes. Add the chicken stock, cabbage, and all of its citrusy juices to the pan and cook, stirring, until the cabbage wilts.

4. Add the vinegar, ginger, allspice, pepper, bay leaves, and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the cabbage begins to slump. Cut a large square of parchment paper into a circle to fit inside the pan, snip a hole in its center, and press down on the cabbage. (Or partially cover the cabbage with a lid.)

5. Transfer to the oven and bake the cabbage for 1 to 1½ hours, until dark and rich and fully collapsed, stirring once or twice.

6. Add the lingonberries or red currants and continue baking until they burst, about 15 minutes.

7. Remove from the oven and taste for seasoning, correcting the balance with additional salt, vinegar, and/or butter. Leave the cabbage to sit with itself for at least 30 minutes, and rewarm just before serving. (To make the cabbage ahead, cool, store in the refrigerator, and reheat gently when needed.)