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If you can’t make the trip to Transformer in Melbourne to try this knock-out dish in its place of origin, here’s your chance to have a crack at it yourself! As long as you nail the braising liquid, it’s almost guaranteed to be delicious.

You will need

Serves 4

Braise:

  • 1 medium red cabbage, washed
  • 3 x 375 ml gluten-free beer (regular beer is fine if not GF)
  • 20 grams salt
  • 25 grams grain mustard
  • 60 grams red wine vinegar
  • 70 grams brown sugar
  • 3–4 sprigs of thyme
  • 2 bay leaves

Sauce:

  • 1 batch retained cooking liquor from cabbage
  • 375 ml gluten-free beer (regular beer is fine if not GF)
  • 60 grams caster sugar
  • 30 grams red wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon arrowroot (mixed with a little water)

Additional elements

  • Mixed mushrooms, pan-fried in olive oil
  • Parsnip puree (optional)
  • Roughly crushed/chopped hazelnuts (~1/3 cup per serve)
  • 1 bunch sage leaves (5-6 leaves per serve)

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Directions

4 hours to prep

1 hour to cook

  1. Step 1

    Mix beer, salt, mustard, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, thyme, and bay leaves in a deep Dutch oven.

  2. Step 2

    Add cabbage and top up with water to around ¾ the way up the cabbage. Cover with lid.

  3. Step 3

    Pre-heat oven to 230°C and cook cabbage for 30 minutes, then turn down to 160°C and cook for another 2 ½ – 3 hours. Remove from oven and remove the lid. Once the steam has subsided flip the cabbage and place the whole vessel in the fridge to cool the cabbage in the cooking liquid. You can skip this step, but for best results serve the cabbage the following day.

  4. Step 4

    The following day remove from braising liquid and portion cabbage. Larger cabbage can be sliced into up to 8 portions, and smaller cabbage cut into up to 6 portions.

  5. Step 5

    Strain braising liquid through a fine sieve and place in a pot, cook to reduce the liquid by about half; add arrowroot to thicken.

  6. Step 6

    In a small separate pot, cook down caster sugar to make caramel, then add additional beer and vinegar. Heat until caramel melts back into sauce.

  7. Step 7

    Add this to the thickened sauce and check consistency and seasoning. You may need to thin it with water or reduce a little more to thicken.

  8. Step 8

    To serve, roast cabbage portions with a coating of olive oil at 220°C until browned and slightly blackened around the edges. This should take about 15–20 minutes. Add sauce to glaze cabbage, basting as you go.

  9. Step 9

    Season with salt and pepper and serve with pan-fried mushrooms, over a generous dollop of parsnip puree. Top with chopped hazelnuts and sage leaves.

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Recipe: Bryce Edwards