German Corned Beef and Cabbage

Going through the freezer before Passover, I found the last pound of corned beef.  I used mustard in the brine, so it isn't KLP.  Deciding what to do with it, I suddenly realized the problem with my mom's annual torture session for St. Patrick's Day.  We're German and Russian stock, and she was forcing an Irish dish on us.  What this really needed was vinegar, mustard, and a beer.  This came to me as I was reading a post my cousin put on her blog about finding a jar of pickled cabbage and apples in her pantry.  I'm not brave enough to ferment sauerkraut from scratch, but cooking down a cabbage with apple cider vinegar could make a quick substitute in 20 minutes.

I had this as it was on a plate with a side of potatoes.  You could put it on rye for a sandwich, on a pretzel bun like a hot dog, or stuff it into a baked potato.  It could also work as the basis for a soup, and a carrot in the mix wouldn't be questioned.

1 medium cabbage
2 Tb apple cider vinegar
1 cooking apple like Gala
*1 lb corned beef
salt to taste
*1 tsp horseradish (optional)
mustard for serving

1.  Thinly slice cabbage, avoiding the core, and place the shreds in a large pot.  Sprinkle lightly with salt, add the cider vinegar, and cover with a lid.  Put it over medium heat and stir it periodically until it has cooked down to about half of its original volume.  This takes 10 to 15 minutes.

2.  While the cabbage is cooking, dice the apple and cut the corned beef strips into bite-sized pieces.  Toss them into the pot and cook until apples are soft and beef is heated through, about 5 minutes.  Serve hot with a side of some interesting mustard and maybe a beer for the adults.

Difficulty rating  π