i have a question. why is it called red cabbage, when it is clearly purple cabbage? and when cooked, such a glorious fuchsia pink?

and i've got a double dose of pink and purple for you here today.

purple was definitely my favorite color when i was little. i was known to wear head to toe, socks included, purple outfits. when i was really little, i had a great (well, it's all relavant right?  i remember giggling.) game with my east coast aunts where they would ask me first my favorite colors – pink and purple – then the colors for christmas, the colors for halloween, the colors for fourth of july.

any five year old worth her salt knows the answer.

pink.

purple.

i love cabbage, the crunch and slight bitterness, but mostly the watery crunch. very satisfying.

however, i'm about the braise the bajesus out of this poor cabbage. don't worry, braising makes pretty much anything better.

including apples.

granny smith apples for sweetness and tang. these are sturdy apples, just what you want for a braise.

we're also going to add apple cider vinegar to punch that flavor up.  

and sage. cause it's fall, and sage is wonderful. especially fresh sage, so furry and soft. it's like the kitten of herbs.

you know how i feel about kittens.

let's file this one under cute.

too cheesy? too blurry? too bad. it's my blog, and i'll post all the cheesy blurry cat photos i want.

anyway, back to dinner. i served the cabbage with . . . pork!

sage and milk braised pork. it's fall. we're gonna be braising all kinds of stuff around here.

but, honestly, i had just cabbage for dinner night two with some crusty bread and it was divine all on its own.

Braised Red Cabbage

Adapted from Spilled Milk. Their recipe called for caraway seeds, which I'd love to try, but didn't have on hand.  And you've seen the state of my spices . . . it just wouldn't be fair to introduce a new innocent spice bottle to that hot mess.

• Olive oil
• Half a red onion, chopped
• Half a red cabbage, sliced
• 2 medium granny smith apples, shredded
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp or more fresh sage, chopped

Heat oil in a large skillet or dutch oven with a lid, add red onion saute until soft.  Add remaining ingredients and cook, covered but stirring occasionally, about an hour until the cabbage is tender but not mushy.