Here’s A Simple Lombarda de Navidad Recipe For A Flavorful Christmas Side Dish!
If you are looking for a festive and flavorful side dish to brighten up your holiday table, you will love this Lombarda de Navidad recipe.Â
Lombarda de Navidad – or Spanish Christmas red cabbage – is a traditional, colorful side dish from Madrid (Lombarda a la Madrileña) and Castilla y León, where it is typically served with roasted fish, seafood, or meat dishes around Christmas time.
Made with red cabbage, onion, apple, raisins, pine nuts, vinegar, and spices, it has a sweet and sour taste and a slightly crunchy texture.
And although it is a dish associated with Christmas in these regions, it can easily be made throughout the fall and winter as a delicious addition to any cold month’s menus.Â
This recipe has similarities to German red cabbage, but it contains raisins and nuts, while the German recipe includes apple juice and sugar. Both are delicious and go well with meat or fish dishes.
Ingredients
Here are the Spanish red cabbage ingredients that you will need to make this recipe:
- Red cabbage – A small, firm, fresh red cabbage; cut into thin strips.
- White onion – Preferably a white sweet onion since it caramelizes nicely, but a yellow onion will also work.Â
- Raisins – Add natural sweetness.
- Green apples – I like to use any green or yellow apple, but a red apple variety will also work.Â
- Salt – To enhance the overall flavor.
- Black pepper – Use freshly ground pepper for the best flavor.
- Cloves – Whole cloves for extra flavor.
- Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon, either freshly ground or store-bought.
- Cumin seeds – Adds an earthy and warm flavor; you can use a little bit of ground cumin if you can’t find cumin seeds.
- Apple cider vinegar – Balances the sweetness and helps the cabbage keep its vibrant shape.
- Olive oil – For cooking the onions.
- Pine nuts – Adds crunch and a nutty flavor; you can substitute with toasted almonds, pistachios, walnuts.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
- Cut the red cabbage into thin, even strips so it cooks evenly.
- Apple cider vinegar enhances the flavor and retains the beautiful purple-redish color, so don’t skip it!
- If you don’t have pine nuts, you can substitute them with other nuts, such as toasted almonds, pistachios or walnuts. Roasted chestnuts are also great since they add a nice touch of sweetness.Â
- You can modify this traditional recipe by adding different fruits or nuts, such as orange slices, tangerine slices, pears, roasted chestnuts or pistachios. If you add citrus fruits, add them towards the end of the cooking time to keep them fresh. If you add pear, add it at the same time as the apple. If you add chestnuts or pistachios, toast them like the pine nuts and add them at the end.
- You can toast the pine nuts in the main pan and then remove them before cooking the cabbage, or toast them in a separate pan while the cabbage is cooking.Â
- Cinnamon, cloves, and cumin are the traditional spices, but you can add star anise too if you like. Go easy on the spices, especially the cinnamon, otherwise, it can be a bit overpowering.
- Adjust the cooking time depending on how soft or crunchy you want the red cabbage to be.
- Remember to remove the cloves, cinnamon stick (if using), and star anise (if using) before serving.
How to Make Lombarda de Navidad – Step by Step Instructions
In this section, we’ll show you exactly how to make this Lombarda de Navidad recipe.
We’ve included all of the recipe process photos so that you can follow along at home as you cook and use them as a visual guide.
Of course, you can find the detailed recipe card – with measurements and steps – at the end of this post.
First, remove any wilted outer leaves from the red cabbage and discard. Cut the red cabbage in half for easier handling, remove the core, and cut into thin strips.
Peel and julienne the onion, and cut the apples into small cubes. There’s no need to peel them first, but you can if you wish.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until soft, golden, and fragrant.
Add the sliced red cabbage and season with a little more salt to help reduce the moisture and its volume.
Then add the apples, raisins, apple cider vinegar and the rest of the spices (cumin, cloves and cinnamon).
Mix well and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the cabbage is cooked to your liking. Stir regularly.
In a different pan, toast the pine nuts over low heat, stirring regularly.
Add the toasted pine nuts to the pan with the red cabbage. Mix well. Taste and add more salt and/or pepper if necessary.
Also remove the cloves, cinnamon stick (if using), and star anise (if using).
Serve the red cabbage as a side dish to oven roasted fish, seafood, meat dishes or other dishes of your choice. Enjoy!
Storage Tips
If you have leftover red cabbage, let it cool, then store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
To reheat it, you can transfer the cabbage to a pot and heat over low heat on the stove or reheat it in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish.
Related Recipes
If you liked this recipe for Spanish red cabbage, here are some other Spanish recipes you may enjoy as well:
- Pan Con Tomate
- Pisto (Spanish Vegetable Stew)
- Ensalada Mixta
- Pipirrana (Spanish Juicy Salad)
Lombarda de Navidad (Spanish Christmas Red Cabbage)
Ingredients
- 1 small red cabbage, about 28 ounces
- 1 white onion
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 2 green apples
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 to 4 whole cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
Instructions
- Remove the outer leaves from the red cabbage and discard. Cut the red cabbage in half for easier handling, remove the core, and cut into thin strips.1 small red cabbage
- Peel and julienne the onion, and cut the apples into small cubes.1 white onion, 2 green apples
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onion. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until soft, golden, and fragrant.2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- Add the sliced red cabbage and season with a little more salt to help reduce the moisture and its volume. Then add the apples, raisins, apple cider vinegar and the rest of the spices (cumin, cloves and cinnamon). Mix well and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the cabbage is cooked to your liking. Stir regularly.3 to 4 whole cloves, 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 1/3 cup raisins
- In another pan, toast the pine nuts over low heat, stirring regularly. When toasted, add them to the pan with the red cabbage. Mix well. Taste and add more salt and/or pepper if needed.1/3 cup pine nuts
- Serve as a side dish to oven roasted fish, seafood, meat dishes, or other dishes of your choice.
Notes
- Cut the red cabbage into thin, even strips so it cooks evenly.
- The apple cider vinegar will enhance the flavor and retain the beautiful purple-redish color, so don’t skip it!
- If you don’t have pine nuts, you can substitute them with toasted almonds, pistachios, or walnuts. Roasted chestnuts also work well.
- You can modify the recipe by adding different fruits or nuts, such as orange slices, tangerine slices, pears, roasted chestnuts or pistachios. If you add citrus fruits, add them towards the end of the cooking time to keep them fresh. If you add pear, add it at the same time as the apple. If you add chestnuts or pistachios, toast them like the pine nuts and add them at the end.
- Cinnamon, cloves, and cumin are the traditional spices, but you can also add star anise if you like. Go easy on the spices or they can be overpowering.
- Adjust the cooking time depending on how soft or crunchy you want the red cabbage.
- Remove the cloves, cinnamon stick (if using), and star anise (if using) before serving.
Nutrition
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
