Braised cabbage

For a long time I had a real deep-rooted complex about Ukraine’s cabbage and potato dishes, which were all too often the only things people in the west associated with eastern European cooking. But now I embrace them all – and none more so than braised cabbage. This is my mother’s recipe, and it’s a pretty common one. Serve this with poultry or sausages, or just with some bread.

SERVES 6 PREP 10 mins COOK 1 hr 15 mins EASY V

1 small white cabbage

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

2 onions, thickly sliced

11/2 tsp caraway seeds

1 large red pepper, thickly sliced 100ml tomato juice

200g crème fraîche

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1 Slice the cabbage into 1cm-wide strips and put in a bowl with 1 tsp salt. Massage the salt into the cabbage well with your hands.

2 Heat the oil in a deep frying pan or shallow flameproof casserole over a medium-low heat and fry the onions with a pinch of salt until soft and starting to turn golden. The salt helps the onions release their juices and prevents burning. You could also cover the onions with a lid or cartouche (a circle of baking parchment about the same size as your pan) to speed things up a bit. Add a splash of water if the onions seem dry or start to catch a bit.

3 Add the cabbage and caraway seeds, and reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 mins more until the cabbage starts to soften. If the mixture becomes too dry, add a splash of water. Add the red pepper and cook for another 5 mins. 4 Gently warm the tomato juice in a small pan, then stir in the crème fraîche and add this to the cabbage mixture. Taste the sauce for seasoning. Cover and cook for another 30-40 mins – when ready, the cabbage will be soft but not falling apart. Stir through the parsley and serve.

GOOD TO KNOW vit c • 2 of 5-a-day • gluten free

PER SERVING 216 kcals • fat 17g • saturates 9g •

carbs 10g • sugars 9g • fibre 5g • protein 3g • salt 1g