Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage

Although I'm of Mediterranean descent, my husband's family is German. In the fall, I really enjoy making "Oktoberfest" type recipes. The other day I was looking through an old "New York Times International" cookbook from the early 1970s and found a great recipe for this classic dish. I tweaked it a bit, of course. Enjoy!

• Ready In: 2 hrs 15 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 heads red cabbage, cored and thinly shredded (use smallish heads)
• 1  teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
• 3  tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 3  tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1  cup raisins, golden preferred
• 2  large fuji apples, cored, peeled and diced in 1/4 inch pieces
• 1⁄2 lb bacon, left in strips
• 2⁄3 cup apple cider, for deglazing, plus 1/2 cup more for re-moistening

Directions

1. Cook the bacon strips to the desired crispness in a large heavy, ovenproof pan with a tight fitting cover. Remove the bacon, drain on paper towels, slice into 1/2" pieces and reserve. Bacon should not be overly crisp.
2. Drain excess grease, but leave enough in the pan to coat the cabbage. Deglaze the pan with the apple cider. Add the vinegar and dark brown sugar. Mix well until the sugar is completely dissolved. Boil briefly to reduce slightly. Add the raisins, apples, bacon and cabbage. Stir well to blend and coat the cabbage with the pan juices. Bring to a boil on top of the stove, uncovered, over medium-high heat.
3. When the mixture comes to a boil, cover the pan and put it into a preheated 400 degree oven. Bake for one hour. Remove from oven, stir well and check the liquid level in the pan. If all liquid is evaporated, add 1/2 cup of apple cider to re-moisten the mixture. Replace cover and bake for an additional 30 minutes.
4. Remove pan from the oven. Stir well and let rest 5 minutes before serving.
5. This dish is perfect with German-style sausage and German potato salad. A great touch is to serve Oktoberfest-style beer with the meal. Makes you want to link arms and sing like they do in the beer halls in Germany!