Step 11: Mach Rotkohl!

We'll be serving that roasted goose on a bed of Rotkohl, which is the red, sweet, spicy version of Sauerkraut that many people have never had the pleasure of tasting--yet. Rotkohl is fabulous stuff. We're making a double version of Frl. Nadia's recipe:

• 1 red cabbage. cored and shredded fine
• 1 T honey
• 1 C red wine vinegar
• 2 T butter
• 2 shallots, peeled and minced
• 3 medium tart apples, cored, peeled, chunked (or a glob of applesauce
• 1 bay leaf
• pepper, salt
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled, and studded with 6 whole cloves
• 2 T red currant jelly

Mix the honey, vinegar, salt, and toss with cabbage. Let sit for an hour while the salt draws the juices out of the cabbage.
Melt the butter and saute shallots until translucent. Add apples and cook until softened, or skip that and substitute the half jar of applesauce you still have leftover from Hannukah latkes. Add cabbage, bay leaf, pepper, and 1 C cold water. Cooking tip: when recipes call for a can or jar of something and later call for a bunch of liquid, use that liquid to rinse the can or jar. Place the clove-studded onion in the middle of things, turn down to the lowest flame, cover, and allow to simmer for an hour until the cabbage is soft and yummy. Stir in jelly, remove onion and bay leaves, and remove to the refrigerator until the big day. Warm and serve as a bed under goose.

Save the clove-studded onion to stuff into the goose along with everything else.