Braised Red Cabbage with Bacon, Apple, and Balsamic Vinegar

This recipe is quoted from Jamie Oliver. The measurement conversions are mine, figured out with the help of the InfoPlease Conversion Calculator.

olive oil

250g  (9 oz.) smoked streaky bacon, finely sliced

1 tablespoon fennel seeds, bashed

1 onion, peeled and sliced

2 good eating apples, peeled and chopped into 2.5cm/1 inch pieces

1 red cabbage, outer leaves and core removed, chopped into irregular chunks

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

150ml (about 2/3 cup) balsamic vinegar

a knob of butter

a handful of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Serves 4

Pour a good lug of olive oil into a saucepan, get it hot and add the bacon and fennel seeds. Cook until golden then add the onion and continue to cook, with the lid on, for a few more minutes until golden and sticky. Add the apple, followed by the cabbage chunks, salt and pepper and the vinegar, and stir everything together well. Put the lid back on and continue to cook on a low heat for an hour, checking and stirring every so often. You will end up with a gorgeously sticky-sweet cabbage dish that you’ll want to eat immediately, straight out of the pan! Or, if you can wait long enough, scoop it into a serving dish, pop the butter on top and sprinkle over the parsley.