Recipe Recommendation: Ralphie's Mom's Braised Red Cabbage from A Christmas Story

Now that it's officially holiday movie season, we thought we'd highlight a classic recipe from a classic seasonal film – "A Christmas Story."

Growing up in Northwest Indiana, "A Christmas Story" was always a great source of regional pride, as it's based on author Jean Shepherd's hometown of Hammond, Ind.

The movie marks its 25th anniversary this year, so there's even more celebration of all things Ralphie.

My family decided not to wait until December to try Ralphie's Mom's Braised Red Cabbage and served it for Thanksgiving instead, but it would be a great addition to any winter meal.

Red cabbage, onions, garlic and apples are added to browned bacon and then simmered in red wine until they're tender and tangy. Not only is it better tasting than a mouthful of soap or a frozen pole, it's downright delicious. Nevertheless, we recommend not making piggy noises while eating it.

Related: Joy's Amazing Cabbage Casserole . . . Really

(Images: Flicker user scazza_, licensed under Creative Commons, Joanna Miller and art.com)

Comments (1)

My family's eastern european version of braised red cabbage is essentially just red cabbage, onions cooked in butter/lard, sugar, salt, a healthy dose of caraway seeds, a little water to help it steam and cook down, and vinegar added at the end. Simple simple simple, and delicious with that great sweet & sour flavor. I know lots of people throw apples into their version, but i've never been able to taste them in there. Garlic seems off to me...

posted by mh330 on December 2nd 2008 at 2:45pm
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