Day Four on the Advent Calendar:
4th December
Window Four:
Christmas Tree Apple
Simple and in Season ~ December ~
It is with great pleasure that I open the December’s link for Simple and in Season, one of my favourite blog challenges, and the baby of Ren from Fabulicious Food, who is entrusting me with her seasonal challenge for December and part of January. I shall be guest hosting this lovely seasonal event until the middle of January, and here’s just a few seasonal fruit and vegetables I hope to see:
……apples, damsons, medlars, pears, quince, plums, chestnuts, elderberries, artichoke, aubergine, beetroot, broccoli, butternut squash, carrots, celery, fennel, garlic, kale, leeks, onions, potatoes, turnips, watercress, celeriac, kohlrabi, pumpkin, Jerusalem artichoke, parsnips, mushrooms, cranberries, chicory, pomegranate, cauliflower, cabbage, sprouts, oranges, dates, figs, clementines, tangerines, pumpkin, swede, satsuma……
Photo: BBC
The idea is to highlight what’s in season, though obviously this may be different depending on where you are! Hopefully these recipes will encourage us all to try produce we haven’t tried before (or bookmark it for a later date when the ingredients used are in season), perhaps share a recipe using produce we’ve grown ourselves or found at a local farmer’s market.
Stuck for inspiration? Here are websites dedicated to finding about what’s in season:
What’s in Season (a great website with an A-Z picture guide of what’s in season in Britain)
Eat the Seasons (tells you what’s good this week, e.g jersey royal new potatoes, asparagus etc)
Well Seasoned (more about what’s in season in the UK including seasonality charts)
Sustainable Table – seasonal produce further afield
Photo: Delicious Magazine
How to Join In:
All you have to do is come up with a dish using any seasonal produce you like (savoury or sweet) post it on your blog, LINK TO THIS PAGE and Ren’s page here: Simple and in Season, then add a link to your post in the box below (via Simply Linked).
Feel free to use the current month’s badge on your post.
This round starts today, the 4th December 2012 and ends on the 15th January 2013.
You can take inspiration from anywhere – adapt a recipe from your favourite cookbook, try something from a magazine, make up your own creation or share a family favourite. The usual rules apply when using someone else’s recipe, please either get permission from the author to post it or adapt it in some way stating how/why you’ve changed it.
Include any seasonal produce you fancy including fruit, veg, herbs, meat or fish.
Link as many recipes as you like. You can link posts entered into other blog events or carnivals as long as it involves a seasonal food item (and fits in with their rules)
The linky below is open to anyone, anywhere.
If you have questions or problems, email me or leave me a comment in the comment box at the bottom of the post.
My seasonal recipe:
Spiced Red Cabbage with Apples Recipe
Spiced Red Cabbage with Apples
Print recipe
| Serves | 8 to 10 servings |
| Prep time | 30 minutes |
| Cook time | 2 hours, 30 minutes |
| Total time | 3 hours |
| Dietary | Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Lunch, Main Dish, Side Dish |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Hot |
| Occasion | Casual Party, Christmas, Formal Party, Halloween, Thanksgiving |
| Region | British |
| By author | Karen S Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 900g to 1 kilo red cabbage, shredded finely (I used my Kenwood Food Processor)
- 4 large onions, peeled & finely diced (I used my Kenwood Food Processor)
- 4 large apples or 4 large pears, NOT peeled, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled & finely minced
- 4 tablespoons soft brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- salt & pepper
- 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 25g butter
Note
A delicious festive recipe using red cabbage, fragrant spices & apples or pears; whilst this is happily cooking away, the spicy smell pervades the kitchen & indeed the rest of the house and heralds the start of my festive baking and freezing season - who needs expensive pot-pourri! Not only is this dish delectable to eat alongside turkey, pork, beef and hams in particular - but the colour is just gorgeous, a rich jewelled ruby red. This cabbage can be kept warm for long periods, reheated and also freezes very well, making it a very well behaved recipe.
Directions
| Step 1 | Discard outer leaves of the red cabbage and cut into quarters. Cut out the central woody root and then shred the quarters very finely. Place in a bowl. Cut the apples or pears into quarters, core them & then slice into fine dice and set aside in another bowl. (I used my wonderful Kenwood Titanium Chef for the shredding, cutting back time by about three-quarters.) |
| Step 2 | Place peeled and diced onions into another bowl & make sure all the other ingredients are measured and to hand. |
| Step 3 | If cooking in a conventional Dutch oven or Le Creuset type casserole dish, turn oven on to 180C/ 360F/Gas 4. This can be cooked on the top of the stove too. |
| Step 4 | For cooking in a slow cooker - take the inner crock out and start layering the ingredients: Red cabbage, then salt & pepper; Apples or pears, onions & garlic, then the spices & brown sugar;keep layering this way until everything has been used up. Layer the same way for conventional cooking too, as in step 3. |
| Step 5 | (If you would like it slightly spicier, add a little more spices, but no more than 1 teaspoon per spice, as it will be too spiced & will detract from the apple/pear & red cabbage flavours) |
| Step 6 | Dot the top of the red cabbage with the butter and pour over the red wine vinegar. |
| Step 7 | Season once more with salt & pepper and cook for 6 to 12 hours on High in the slow cooker, until everything has broken down, is soft and it is a rich red colour. |
| Step 8 | For conventional cooking - cook for about 2 - 2 1/2 hours in pre-heated oven. It can be cooked on the stove top too; takes about 2 - 3 hours on a low heat, just a slow simmer. |
| Step 9 | Pears can be used as well, and I sometimes add a handful of cranberries for a really festive touch! |
A seasonal recipe from Ren:
Dear Karen, thank you so much for hosting Simple and in Season, I am very sure that all our wonderful entrants and supporters will be very much at home here. Looking forward to seeing lots of very tasty seasonal treats! Ren x
It is my pleasure Ren, as you know, it is one of my favourite challenges as I cook seasonally myself, and I always look forward to the round ups to see what delectable recipes and new blogs there are to discover. I am sure we will have a bumper crop of stunning seasonal recipes as I said on twitter, winter often brings treasures not found in summer! Karen
That cabbage recipe looks deeelish!
Thanks so much Mary! 🙂
oooh, I’ll be making so many recipes that include all of the above… I just have to remember to link up!… lovely to have you hosting x
Thanks Dom, look forward to seeing what comes out if Belleau kitchen this winter! Karen
Hey hostess with the mostess! You are going to be one busy bee this month. Ren couldn’t have entrusted her ‘blog baby’ with a better person. I will be looking forward to seeing what people post. Like Dom I will be making loads of seasonal recipes so will have to remember to link up. I love all of the seasonal sites you mention and I am glad to see you sharing them here. All so inspiring. Lovely cabbage recipe too. You are right: who needs potpourri!
Thanks darlink! Just catching up on comments now and I will be over to drool over your entries later! Karen 🙂
I’ve finally added my recipe!! Thank you Karen for hosting this brilliant event.
Many thanks Rita! I will be over to drool later! Thanks for entering! Karen
Can’t tell you how much I LOVE braised red cabbage. Have added my rather haphazard roast root veg fritatta – it’s linked to Herbs on Saturday too!
Thanks so much Sally! I shall be over to look very soon! Been a bit manic lately! Karen
Just posted my chocolate chestnut cake, suitable for coeliacs and possibly dieters (!). I hope you like it Karen. Great hosting job.
A big thanks Kellie! I shall be over to look later, been so busy lately! Karen
Your red cabbage and apple recipe sounds great Karen, I may well be trying it over the holiday. I’ve added a link for a cranberry, orange and thyme conserve. Now that’s done, I can start reading (and cooking) the rest of this month’s recipes!
Thanks so much Sarah! I was away in London for a few days and only got back today! I will let you know when I am free so I can pass the book on and have a cuppa with you! Karen
Hi Karen,,
Thank you for hosting. I have just added my risotto with radicchio.
What a lovely round up of recipes this month!
Alida
Thanks so much Alida! Karen
Been missing being part of Simple and in Season the past six months, so am happy to be part of it again – submitting two recipes: Festive Vegeterian Burgers and Sweet Potato Cranberry Brownies…hopefully it will continue. Happy New Year to you Karen.
Happy New Year to you too Shaheen and thanks so much for your LOVELY entries! I am still running Tea Time Treats and Herbs on Saturday too….Karen
Thanks so much Shaheen! And very happy new year to you too! Karen
Having just taken a bag of your Spiced Red Cabbage out of the freezer for our sunday dinner today (to go with some Venison Stew) I’ve just realised I failed to comment on how lovely it was….originally made and very much enjoyed on Christmas Eve by all ten of us! Also eaten with Venison!. Thank you for the lovely recipe.
AW! Thanks so much for letting me know Louisa! We just had Ham cooked in Hay – sweet and delicious and recipe coming soon! Have a wonderful Sunday! XXX Karen