Pair pork with cabbage for a delicious main dish

And by the way, combining red cabbage with an acid — balsamic vinegar, in this case — turns its color from dull blue-ish red to jewel-like pink. All of a sudden, this veggie is scoring an A-plus in visuals — a welcome bonus even if it’s not a very cabbage-y thing to do.

Finally, Sweet and Sour Cabbage can be made a few days ahead and is equally good served hot or cold. In other words, it’s not just a wintertime food. Try it in the summer as a tangy alternative to coleslaw. Grilled hot dogs topped with sweet and sour cabbage anyone?

Sweet and Sour Cabbage

Start to finish: 1 hour (25 active)

Servings: 4

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 to 2 tablespoons brown sugar (light or dark), or to taste

4 cups shredded red cabbage

One 14.5-ounce can chopped tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted

Kosher salt

Black pepper

In a large skillet cook the garlic in the oil over medium heat, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the vinegar and sugar and cook, stirring until the sugar is melted. Add the cabbage, tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover tightly and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is very tender, about 30 minutes. If there is still a lot of liquid in the pan, increase the heat to medium-high and simmer, uncovered, until most of the liquid is reduced. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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Nutritional information per serving: 130 calories; 48 calories from fat; 5 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 364 mg sodium; 17 g carbohydrates; 3 g fiber; 13 g sugar; 2 g protein.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Sara Moulton is host of public television’s “Sara’s Weeknight Meals.” She was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years and spent a decade hosting several Food Network shows including “Cooking Live.” Her latest cookbook is “HomeCooking 101.”