Those of you who know me know I’m a first generation Canadian. Both my parents are from Germany, and I’ve got a bit of Hungarian and Transylvanian thrown in on the side. Growing up, we ate a lot of German food at home, and Hungarian when we visited my maternal grandmother. Some of my strongest and most loved food memories are of ethnic foods.
Matt and I (well, mostly me) have been making a conscious effort to expose our children to as many different ethnic foods as we can. Whether these dishes have been American-ized or not, the point is to introduce them to new flavors and ideas. It’s especially important to do that with a picky eater like Ari is, and I have to say all our hard work has paid off, as she surprises me with what she’s willing to at least try to eat.
Both of my kids love to help out in the kitchen, and I encourage it when I can because not only is it quality time with me, but it helps create good memories. It is my hope that if they build enough good memories about the kitchen and food, when they’re out on their own they won’t subsist on ramen and take out because they don’t know how to cook anything.
With this recipe, I hope to introduce them to one of my favorite comfort foods – braised red cabbage. I’ll be making it next week, and when I do, I’ll try to remember to take pictures. I’m calling this Opa’s Red Cabbage because it’s my dad’s recipe, and Opa (German for Grampa) is what my kids call him.
