Other Tricks with Cabbage

The tanginess of sauerkraut makes a perfect foil to rich meats, especially pork, and seafood, especially salmon. But unless we’re fanatics, it’s unlikely that we’re going to have a crock of homemade sauerkraut at the ready, and we may not feel like using something out of a bag or jar. You can simulate the tanginess of sauerkraut, if not the exact flavor, by cooking cabbage with bacon and vinegar. I like to use red cabbage, which seems to hold its texture better and looks pretty, and I add apples to balance the acidity of the vinegar. I thought I had invented this dish, but later discovered that it’s the same thing as chou à l’ardennaise described in Anne Willan’s wonderful book French Regional Cooking and similar to the chou rouge braisé à l’alsacienne described in Austin de Croze’s classic Les Plats Régionaux de France.