Dutch Food: Rodekool Met Appeltjes

Happy New Year!  Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!

One of my favorite traditions on New Year's Day while I was growing up in Ohio was to gather the family together for a feast of sauerkraut and pork (in my case, the pork was substituted with beans or tofu).

So, this time of year, my mind often turns to cooking up a large pot of cabbage. While the Dutch eat sauerkraut ("zuurkool"), they also use cabbage in another very yummy, typical Dutch dish called "rodekool met appeltjes" (red cabbage with apples).

Rodekool met appeltjes, plated next to quinoa

I've made rodekool met appeltjes several times since moving to the Netherlands because it's a tasty and easy recipe that's just a little bit time consuming.  While I could eat it pre-made out of one of the jars or plastic sacks that are ubiquitous in the markets here, I strongly prefer the flavor of the home-made version.

Rodekool met appeltjes, simmering

Here's my recipe for rode kool met appeltjes:

Vegan Rodekool met Appeltjes
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:
vegetable oil
1/2 medium red onion OR 1 medium shallot (peeled and roughly chopped)
1/2 large red cabbage (thinly sliced)
water
2 large red apples (peeled, cored, and roughly chopped)
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
2 teaspoons brown sugar OR 1 teaspoon agave syrup
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
lemon zest (approximately 1/2 lemon)
2 teaspoons corn starch
optional: handful of raisins or currants

Instructions:
In a large soup pot, sauté the onion in a thin layer of vegetable oil until the onion is translucent. Add the sliced cabbage, mix into the onion and oil, and sauté until it begins to wilt (about 5 to 10 minutes). Add just enough water to barely cover the cabbage.  Add the apples, bay leaf, spices, sugar, apple cider vinegar, lemon zest, and raisins or currants (if using). Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to simmer for about 1 hour.  After about an hour, scoop out approximately 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid into a small bowl and whisk with the corn starch.  Add the corn starch mixture back to the soup pot and cook for another 10 minutes, until the mixture begins to thicken.

Enjoy!