Pork Chops with Red Cabbage Flavored with Vinegar, Apples and Bacon

Step 1: Cut the bacon slices crosswise into strips (lardons) about 1 inch [2.5 cm] long and 1/4 inch [.5 cm] on each side. Put the strips in a heavy-bottomed pot large enough to hold the shredded cabbage and cook over low heat. Stir them every couple of minutes so they cook evenly. Be careful not to burn the fat. As soon as the bacon strips begin to turn crispy, turn off the heat, take them out of the pot with a slotted spoon, pour the fat into a small bowl, and reserve bacon and fat separately.

Step 2: Pull off and discard any wilted outer leaves from the cabbage. Quarter the cabbage by cutting through the core at the bottom. Cut the core out of each of the quarters and discard it. Shred the cabbage by slicing the quarters about 1/8 inch [3 mm] thick with a knife or vegetable slicer.

Step 3: Put the cabbage in the pot and pour the wine over it. Add the juniper berries, caraway seeds, reserved bacon, and apples and toss everything together until the ingredients are evenly distributed. (If you don’t like biting into juniper berries and caraway seeds, you can wrap them in cheesecloth.) Put the pot on high heat until the wine comes to a boil and then turn the heat down to low. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 45 minutes. Keep an eye on the pot, stirring every few minutes, so you don’t allow all the liquid to evaporate and the cabbage to burn. If after 45 minutes the cabbage is floating in lots of liquid, remove the lid and turn the heat up to high to evaporate the liquid, again being careful not to burn the cabbage.

Step 4: Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Sauté them in the reserved bacon fat, over high heat, in a sauté pan or skillet just large enough to hold them in a single layer—or use two pans—until they are firm to the touch, or pink but not translucent when you cut into one, 3 to 8 minutes on each side, depending on their thickness.

Step 5: Add the vinegar to the cabbage and season to taste with salt, pepper, and more vinegar if it needs it. Serve the pork chops with a mound of the cabbage on heated plates.