Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

oktoberfest red cabbage & kielbasa

Recipe by
Larry Cline
Midland, GA

Fall is cabbage time! This braised cabbage (adapted from a meal I enjoyed at a German Biergarten) begs to be served with pork. You can cook kielbasa or bratwursts right in it, or you can leave the sausage out and serve it as a side dish alongside tenderloin or pork chops. Add some buttered new potatoes and crusty rolls, and your Oktoberfest dinner is ready. Guten Appetit!

method Stove Top

Ingredients For oktoberfest red cabbage & kielbasa

  • 1-1½ lbs.
    kielbasa, bratwurst, or other sausage
  • 2 Tbs
    butter or bacon grease
  • 1 head
    red cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped
  • 1 large
    yellow onion, coarsely chopped
  • 2-3 cloves
    garlic, minced
  • 6 ounces
    beer (or water or chicken broth)
  • ¼ cup
    raisins (optional)
  • ¼ cup
    cider vinegar
  • 3-4 Tbs
    brown sugar
  • 1-2 tsp
    chicken bouillon
  • ½ tsp
    (each) celery seed, black pepper
  • ½ tsp
    fennel seeds (optional)
  • two
    granny smith apples

How To Make oktoberfest red cabbage & kielbasa

  • 1
    Cut the sausage into four or five pieces, and split each piece lengthwise. In a large pan*, brown the sausage in oil or bacon fat, then remove and set aside.
  • 2
    Add the cabbage, onion, and garlic to the pan, and fry until softened.
  • 3
    Stir in the beer, vinegar, raisins (optional), brown sugar, bouillon, and seasonings. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.
  • 4
    While the cabbage is cooking, quarter the unpeeled apples and remove the cores. Cut each quarter in half, then slice into half-inch pieces.
  • Oktoberfest food!  Kielbasa or other sausages, cooked with tangy red cabbage, apples, and onions.
    5
    After 20 minutes, uncover the pan and stir the apple chunks into the cabbage mixture until just beginning to soften. Return the kielbasa to the pan, arranging it on top of the cabbage mixture. Simmer uncovered until the sausage is reheated.
  • 6
    *I use my electric skillet for this, but you could also cook it in a large frying pan, or even a dutch oven. It's attractive enough that you can serve it right from the cooking pan, so something that can go to the table is good.

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