
When I was in second grade, my family got transferred to Leverkusen, Germany for a year because of my dad’s job. This year abroad resulted in a number of things, including eleven years of German classes, very vague memories of major European landmarks, and a strong dislike of fresh peaches. After returning, my dad and I were the only ones to keep up our German, he more willingly than I. All of us, however, retained a taste for German food, especially bratwurst and weißwurst. We’re also big fans of the sides, such as German potato salad and sauerkraut.
The other day, I was in the grocery store hunting for scallions (which, I swear, are in a different place every time I go because I can never find them), when I came across a head of red cabbage. Rotkohl, as it’s called in German, looks a lot like a regular cabbage except for its reddish, purpleish color. When cooked, it’s a lot sweeter than plain cabbage or sauerkraut, and it makes a pretty, bright addition to the plate. I found a recipe in Veronika Müller, Mechthild Piepenbrock, and C.P. Fischer’s Spaß am Kochen, Freude beim Essen (Fun at Cooking, Joy while Eating), and translated and modified it.

The original recipe called for bacon fat; I replaced it with goose fat because it’s what I had. I imagine butter or oil would work well too, although some flavor might be lost. The recipe also calls for four tablespoons of johannisberry jelly, but I have never seen any kind of johannisberry in the United States. You could probably substitute some other sort of jelly, such as raspberry, but I opted to leave them out entirely. Keep in mind that if you do add jelly, the whole thing will be sweeter. I served my rotkohl with grilled bratwurst and mashed potatoes.
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