The Recipe Room

Another typical Mediterranean delight, this red cabbage and apple recipe is sure to knock your socks off if you’ve never had it or anything similar before!  You can find a lot of different variations of the dish if you travel around the Mediterranean countries, but the basic idea is always the same: very tender red cabbage mixed with a sweet fruit (I’ve used apples, but some people make it with raisins, oranges or apricots) and seasoned with some kind of aromatic spice, usually cloves, cinnamon or nutmeg.

The dish works well either as a salad to go along with your main meal, or as an appetiser.  I also find it makes a great topping for sausages or hot-dogs, something like a less vinegary coleslaw. Just be careful not to drop any of it on your clothes, especially white, as it does stain quite easily.  Speaking of the colour, if you find that the red cabbage starts to turn blue when you’re cooking it, it means you haven’t used enough vinegar, as this is necessary to keep the colour from leaking out.  If you think it’s already got enough vinegar, a little bit of lemon juice will also do the trick quite nicely. (Also try this cabbage and barley soup.)

 

Although I suppose it’s not technically a pie as it doesn’t have any pastry, this cheese and potato pie recipe certainly looks quite a bit like a pie so I’m going to stick with the name.  It is baked in the oven like a pie and when you serve it cut into triangle shapes it also looks somewhat similar to a Spanish omelette, although the taste is quite different.  In France they make it with lean bacon and it’s called a truffade.  Whatever you want to call it, the result is very, very yummy and I can guarantee that everyone is going to want second or even third helpings so be sure you make plenty.

I’ve suggested using cheddar cheese in the recipe since it’s the easiest to find, but you can substitute any strong, hard cheese if you prefer.  The French usually use tomme cheese, but I don’t know where to get that here in the UK.  I’ve used Spanish manchego cheese on occasion and it tasted simply delightful.

You Need:

• 2tbsp sunflower oil
• 675g potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 300ml grated cheddar
• 1/2tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt
• Pepper

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 190ºC.
2. Grease a deep oven dish with a little of the sunflower oil.
3. Arrange a layer of potatoes along the bottom of the baking dish.
4. Season this layer of potatoes with the nutmeg, salt and pepper.
5. Coat with a bit of the sunflower oil.
6. Arrange a layer of sliced onions on top of the potatoes.
7. Sprinkle this layer with grated cheddar cheese.
8. Arrange another layer of potatoes (with salt, pepper and nutmeg), onions and cheese.
9. Keep adding layers until all the ingredients are used up.
10. Top off with a layer of cheddar cheese.
11. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until it turns a dark golden-brown colour.
12. Let sit 5 minutes, loosely covered with a sheet of aluminium foil.
13. Serve with salad on the side.

Ready In:  60 minutes

Serves:  4-6

Difficulty:   2 out of 5