Geektober Fest

Last Saturday night we had another Geek Dinner. Because its Oktober, in honor of German my heritage, and the Irish Channel, (where we almost were) I decided to create Bratwurst and Red Cabbage.


Since I still had one of the throw away aluminum chafing dishes left over from last time it seemed perfect. As usual the problem was getting the quantities right.

The cabbage is a variation of smothered cabbage.

Ingrediants

• 2 small heads red cabbage
• 2 lbs of thick sliced bacon
• 2 large onions
• 2 Granny Smith apples
  
• 1 tsp. caraway seeds
• 1 tsp. allspice
• 1 tbsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. black pepper
• 2 oz. lemon juice
• 2 oz. cider vinegar
• 5 lb. Bratwurst (about 20 links)
• 1 squeeze bottle of Zataran's Creole Mustard.

Preparation;

• Coarsely chop cabbage and discard core.
• Finely slice onion from the pole
• Peel, core and finely slice the apples.
• Chop bacon into 1" pieces.

Cook the Cabbage;

• In a large cast iron skillet cook the bacon reserving the grease.
• In a large covered pot cook onions in bacon grease until translucent.
• Add apples and cook until tender.
• Add cabbage and toss until coated.
• Add salt, pepper, caraway seed, allspice lemon juice and vinegar, toss
• Cover and cook over low heat until cabbage is tender, toss occasionally.
• Transfer into serving pan and sprinkle bacon pieces on top.
  
• Seal with aluminum foil for transportation.

Grill the sausage

• Grill Bartwurst over a low charcoal fire, turning frequently
• Cut links in half.
  
• Seal in an aluminum serving pan for transportation, may be kept warm in a low oven.

It turned out very nicely. One of the things I can never get right about Cabbage is that it growns in volume when you chop it and shrinks when you cook it. Estimating the final quantity is very difficult for me.