Red Cabbage with Bacon and Apple

This recipe is adapted from Laura Calder's recipe in French Cooking at Home. There are many red cabbage recipes, but this one is great. I always thought of it as a German dish, but apparently the French eat it too.

You need to allow about an hour to make and cook it, and it does taste better the next day.

I used the wonderful bacon I get from a farm in Delta (I buy it at Westham Island Herb Farm).

If you don't have homemade beef stock, don't bother with canned. If you don't have red wine vinegar, use any vinegar.

Red Cabbage with Bacon and Apple

Ingredients:
1/2 small red cabbage, sliced very finely
2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 oz. bacon, sliced and cut into small pieces
1/4 of a large red onion, sliced finely
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup beef stock
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bay leaf
Sea or kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tart apples, diced with peel.

Instructions:
Slice the cabbage and onion very finely, and cut any large pieces into fine shreds.
Heat a saute pan on medium heat.
When hot, add the oil, bacon, and onion.
Saute about 10 minutes, stirring often.
Add the cabbage, vinegar, wine, stock, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
Bring to a simmer and cover halfway, and cook about 45 minutes. You want the cabbage to be very well cooked and the liquid to cook away.
Meanwhile, in another pan, melt the butter and add sugar. Saute the apples about 10 minutes.
Add to the cabbage.
Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.