Autumn in Switzerland is the season of hearty food. Lots of restaurants offer game at that time of the year, and both in private homes and restaurants you come across Spätzli/Knöpfli with meat and red cabbage and caramelised chestnuts, which we call Rotkraut und Marroni. This is one of the very few dishes I’ve never cooked myself because I always go to eat it at my parents’. For Little Zurich Kitchen, my mum has passed on her recipe and I’ve cooked it myself, for the first time. It wasn’t difficult at all and I’m sure I’ll cook it again.
Red cabbage recipe
- 1 red cabbage (Rotkabis or Blaukabis)
- 1 big apple of a sour variety
- 1/2dl water
- 1/2dl red wine
- 4 tbsp white wine vinegar
- Salt and vegetable stock powder (or cube)
Method
Shred the cabbage semi-finely (without the white end bit) and place it into a pressure cooker or a normal pot.
Grate the apple and add it.
Add the water, wine and vinegar.
Pressure cooker: Cook for 4 minutes. Then hold the pressure cooker under the running, cold water to cool it down. Then add the salt and vegetable stock powder.
Normal pot: Add the salt and vegetable stock powder and cook for 25 minutes. Add more water during the cooking process if needed.
Recipe caramelised chestnuts
- 500g frozen chestnuts (available in all major supermarkets)
- 9 tbsp sugar
Method
For the caramel, put the sugar and 6 tbsp of water into a saucepan and cook until light brown. Take pan away from the hot stove and, while still almost fully covering the pot with the lid (important: this is a dangerously hot working step due to the emerging steam!), carefully add 2dl of water. Put pot back onto the stove, add the chestnuts and cook on low heat for 30 minutes with the lid on. Then remove the lid and let it cook until the liquid has reduced and is slightly thicker. In the end add a dash of cream.
Serve with Voressen, any other meat stew or game and Knöpfli/Spätzli, potatoes or pasta.
Sounds so good!
I wish they sold frozen chestnuts in Germany!
Oh do they not 🙁 it’s very useful indeed