Pickled Red Cabbage

Some of the finest, sharpest, deepest and most stunning colors in the world are all natural. Nothing beats a chartreuse rice field at one stage of its life cycle…then it transforms to fields of gold, as Sting puts it, when the rice is ready for harvest. The deep yellow-orange of a mango, the unique color of blood orange juice or the blackness of squid ink… Browsing through an old issue of Vogue Entertaining & Travel, I spied a stunning photograph of some red cabbage pickles and I decided to see if they tasted as good as they looked…

To make, take 2 medium sized red cabbages, peel off the mucky outer leaves, and shred finely or use a mandoline. Do not include the tough core of the cabbage. Place all the sliced cabbage in a large stainless steel or glass bowl and sprinkle liberally with kosher or rock salt. Leave out on the counter to “sweat” for several hours, uncovered. Mix once in a while. Then cover with plastic wrap and stick in the warmest part of your refrigerator overnight. The cabbage will look a bizarre light purple or blue by the next morning…not to worry, the addition of vinegar will work wonders… Put about ½ a liter or cider vinegar and ½ liter of white wine vinegar in a sauce pan together with a large chunk or two of peeled ginger, a tablespoon of freshly cracked black peppercorns and some allspice and a tablespoon or two of sugar and bring to a boil. Simmer, with pot covered for roughly 20 minutes, turn off heat and cool. Drain the cabbage in a colander and dry it with paper towels, making sure not to leave any paper bits. Pack the dried cabbage into sterilized jam or bottling jars and pour in the vinegar mixture. Place in the refrigerator for at least three days then open and serve. Should last another 7-10 days in the fridge. Recipe is from Vogue Entertaining. Results were simply spectacular. The cabbage was a bit on the sour or overly vinegary side but I like vinegar. It goes great with grilled sausage with mustard, as a side relish to duck, and in ham sandwiches with a nice crusty bread. And the color was out of this world…really and truly stunning…naturally.