Kielbasa with Red Cabbage

Wednesday December 12

A favorite winter dish, despite the fact that it hasn't been very wintry of late. Though we last had it on January 17 of this year, we never gave the recipe - just noted that you cooked a bunch of red things and they turned purple. Well, this time, we're noting down how to do this magical transformation.

The original recipe comes from the Larousse Book of Country Cooking, where it is euphoniously entitled "kiełbasa w czerwonej kapuście." We've only messed with it a bit.

Cut up a couple of onions into long slices, and a pound or more of smoked kielbasa into slanting bite-sized slices. And while you're at the cutting board, shred up a cored half head of red cabbage, and core and slice a couple of firm apples.

Now you're set to cook. In a large skillet, sauté the onions in oil for a couple of minutes, then throw in the kielbasa for a few minutes more. Finally, add the cabbage, stirring it around and mushing it down so you can get it all in. Now, add the liquids - a half cup of dry red wine, and a quarter cup of red wine vinegar - plus a bay leaf, a dusting of caraway seeds (to your taste), and salt and pepper. Once the cabbage has b'iled down a bit, add the apples and cover them with the cabbage so they get all purple, too. Cover this and let it simmer about a half hour, until everything is tender and edible. Adjust the seasoning, and serve.

The kielbasa came from Kroger's Fine Meats at Findlay market, far superior to the usual supermarket kielbasa (now with more pig-tongues and nitrites!) on sale. And we bought Enterprise apples from a local grower, Dennis of Backyard Orchard; he said they were nice and tart, and would hold together rather than breaking down in the cooking process. Good advice, because the apples are crucial in giving this dish the proper northern European sweet-sour flavor.