Happy Oktoberfest! Or should I say Glückliches Oktoberfest? To be honest, I have no idea how to speak German so if whatever I just typed made no sense you can take it up with google translate.
I am so excited that Fall is approaching. I cannot even begin to tell you everything I love about fall, it might take up this whole post. I decided to start my fall feasting with a German dish in honor of Oktoberfest. My grandmother had a recipe in her Hollymead files for red cabbage and other German faves. It wasn’t too surprising to come across these recipes since my Grandmother came from German heritage. It is possible that they weren’t all that German but much like we all claim to be Irish on St. Patty’s Day, I will claim my German heritage for Oktoberfest. In case you are wondering I also like to celebrate the Highland games to honor my Scottish heritage…well not really. When you are as ethnically diverse as I am you could probably celebrate something each month.
German food always hits the spot. Whenever Oktoberfest rolls around people get excited about drinking massive amounts of beer out of boots and the like. Of course you know that I could care less for the beer… bring me my brats, krauts, and schnitzels. German food is always good because it’s always hearty. You will never leave a German meal feeling hungry, drunk possibly, but not hungry.
This red cabbage dish is so yummy and hits all the right notes. It was also a great way to use the delicious apples that came from From the Farmer. I paired the cabbage with a Sauerbraten recipe that grandma had in her files. It would have made the blog but unfortunately I was too impatient to allow it to marinate the 3 days minimum required so it was what I would call a blog fail, it was edible just not super pretty.
Ingredients
- 1 Head Red Cabbage Shredded
- 6 Oz. Bacon Diced
- 2 Onions Sliced Thinly
- 1/3 Cup Vinegar
- 2 Apples Peeled, Cored, Sliced
- 1/2 Cup Currant Jam (Or other tart jams)
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1/2 Tsp. Salt
- 1/4 Cup Water
Instructions
- Cook bacon in a skillet until crispy. Remove bacon and set aside, do not drain bacon grease. Add cabbage and remaining ingredients, omitting the vinegar, to the pan. Add the bacon back to the skillet. Saute the cabbage until it begins to soften and release liquid. Once the cabbage breaks down a little cover the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Allow the cabbage to cook for 2 hours stirring occasionally. Add vinegar and stir at the end of cooking. Remove the bay leaf when ready to serve.
