Ham knuckle with braised green cabbage (jambonneau braisé aux choux)

The Alsatian people love pork meat and cabbage, and this recipe of cooked knuckles and braised cabbage – a superb winter warmer – is often served with steamed potatoes.

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ onion, diced
• 150 g speck or smoked bacon, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 carrot, sliced
• ½ green cabbage, finely sliced
• 15 juniper berries
• 200 ml riesling
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cooked ham knuckle (about 750 g), from the hind leg
• 8 small potatoes, skin on
• ¼ cup chopped parsley

Instructions

Heat the oil in a cast-iron pan over medium heat. Cook onion, speck, celery and carrot for 3 minutes or until tender. Add the cabbage, juniper berries and riesling, and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Nestle the ham knuckle into the cabbage mixture. Cover and cook, stirring vegetables occasionally, for 1 hour 20 minutes-1 hour 30 minutes, adding water if needed, until ham is tender and warmed.

Meanwhile, steam potatoes for 30-40 minutes or until cooked.

Place cabbage mixture on a serving plate and top with the ham knuckle. Garnish with potatoes and parsley. Serve.

Photography by Benito Martin. Styling by Sarah O’Brien. Food preparation by Alice Storey.

Props by Hayden Youlley Design.

In-video photography by Peter Warren.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.