The cabbage family is both large (there are more than a dozen relatives) and strong-flavoured. Cabbage tissue contains two kinds of chemical that contribute to this: the flavour precursors (that green, grassy aroma uncooked cabbage has when it’s cut) and the enzymes, which react with those precursors when cooked. The longer cabbage cooks, the more it smells – and the more likely it is to send some people, children especially, running a mile.
There are ways around this, though. The first is not to overcook it, obvious as that sounds. It also helps to blanch the leaves first, which stops enzyme activity and helps retain that fresh aroma. Pairing the cooked leaves with something creamy (soft cheese, say) or salty (bacon) also balances the bitterness. (Red cabbage, meanwhile, turns an unappetising blue when cooked, unless you add something acidic – vinegar or citrus.) The central core is often where that bitterness is most concentrated, so trim or remove it altogether. With these tricks up your sleeve, everyone – big and small alike – can enjoy cabbage.
Pork and ricotta meatballs with cabbage and lemon
Serve with rice. Serves six.
500g minced pork
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1 medium onion, peeled, half coarsely grated, half finely diced
5g tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
1½ tsp caraway seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
⅛ tsp ground cloves
100g ricotta
50g fresh white breadcrumbs
1 egg, lightly whisked
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
2 small savoy cabbages, trimmed, stalks removed and each cut into six wedges (1kg net weight)
160g smoky bacon lardons
500ml chicken stock
Shaved skin of 1 lemon, plus 1½ tsp lemon juice, to serve
80ml double cream
Mix the pork, garlic, grated onion, tarragon, spices, ricotta, breadcrumbs and egg with half a teaspoon of salt and lots of pepper. Form into balls just under 5cm wide and 45g in weight – you should end up with 18.
Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick pan on a medium-high flame, and fry the meatballs for seven minutes, turning a few times, until golden-brown all over (they should all fit in the pan, but cook in batches if need be). Remove from the pan and set aside.
Heat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and add the cabbage wedges. Blanch for two minutes, until semi-cooked and still bright green, then drain, shaking out as much water as you can. Put in a bowl with the last tablespoon of oil and a third of a teaspoon of salt. Mix to coat, then spread out on a baking tray lined with baking paper and roast for 12 minutes, until the outer leaves are crisp and golden-brown. Remove and keep in a warm spot.
While the cabbage is in the oven, return the saute pan to a medium-high heat – don’t wipe it, as you want the oil. Add the diced onion and lardons, and fry for seven minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the onion soft. Add the stock, lemon skin, a quarter-teaspoon of salt and lots of pepper. Bring to a boil and cook for nine minutes, to reduce and thicken the liquid. Stir in the cream, then add the meatballs and cook for six minutes, stirring often, until cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
Serve two cabbage wedges and three meatballs per portion, with the sauce spooned over and a final drizzle of lemon juice.
Braised red cabbage with sherry, prunes and orange
Perfect alongside any wintry roast. Serves six, as a side dish.
3-4 large oranges
150ml dry sherry
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
Salt
200g pitted prunes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tsp caraway seeds, lightly crushed
1 large cinnamon stick
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp chilli flakes
5g sage leaves, roughly chopped
1 small red cabbage, outer leaves and core discarded, cut into 0.5cm slices (880g net weight)
Use a small, sharp knife to top and tail two of the oranges. Cut down the side of each orange, following its natural curves, to remove the skin and white pith. Holding the oranges over a small bowl, cut in between the membranes to remove the segments, then cut each segment into thirds and add to the bowl.
Squeeze the remaining oranges – you need 150ml of juice in all – and put in a bowl with the sherry, sherry vinegar, sugar and a teaspoon of salt. Whisk, then add the prunes and set aside for half an hour, to swell.
In a large saucepan for which you have a lid, heat the oil on a medium-high flame, then fry the onion for seven to eight minutes, stirring often, until soft and caramelised. Add the garlic, spices and sage, cook for two minutes, then stir in the cabbage, the prunes and their liquid, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring a few times, until the cabbage is very soft and there’s just a little liquid left. Remove from the heat, stir through the orange segments and their juice, and serve.
Asian winter greens with panch phoran and coconut
Serve this as a nourishing soup, or make it a meal with some sticky rice. Panch phoran is an east Indian whole-seed spice mix. Buy it ready-made, or mix equal amounts of fenugreek, fennel, black mustard, nigella and cumin seeds. Serves four.
200g rainbow or swiss chard, trimmed, leaves and stalks cut into 2cm-wide strips (190g net weight)
150g cavolo nero, stalks removed, cut into 4cm-wide pieces (100g net weight)
200g curly kale, stalks removed, cut into 4cm-wide pieces (160g net weight)
¼ small white cabbage, cut into 1cm-thick strips (250g net weight)
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
3.5cm piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 tbsp panch phoran whole spice mix
440ml coconut milk
500ml vegetable stock
Salt
15g coriander leaves, roughly chopped
Grated zest of 1 lime, plus 1 tbsp juice
60g freshly grated coconut (optional)
Bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to a boil, add all the cabbages, boil for three minutes, then drain.
Put the coconut oil in a large saute pan on medium heat. Once melted, fry the onion for eight minutes, stirring, until caramelised and soft. Add the garlic, ginger, chilli and spices, fry for two minutes, so the garlic takes on some colour, then add the coconut milk, stock and three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt, and simmer for five minutes. Add all the cabbages to the pan, simmer for five minutes, until soft, then take off the heat. Stir in the coriander, lime zest and juice, sprinkle on the fresh coconut, if using, and serve.
Crisp savoy cabbage with chestnuts and bacon
A great festive side that can be prepared well in advance. The chestnuts and bacon can be cooked a day or two ahead and reheated at the last minute, while the cabbage can be blanched, refreshed and mixed with the seasoning, all ready to go in the oven just before you’re about to eat. Serves six.
1 medium savoy cabbage, stem trimmed, outer leaves discarded, cut into 8 wedges (600g net weight)
3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
Salt and black pepper
20g unsalted butter
160g smoky bacon lardons
100g cooked and peeled chestnuts, broken in half
1 tbsp picked thyme leaves
1½ tsp finely grated lemon zest
Heat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil, then blanch the cabbage for two minutes, until almost cooked but retaining a bite. Drain, shake to get rid of as much water as possible (take care to keep the wedges intact), then mix in a bowl with the oil, half a teaspoon of salt and some pepper. Put on an oven tray lined with baking paper and roast for 15 minutes, until the outer leaves are golden and crisp.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan on a medium-high heat, fry the lardons until they start to brown, then add the chestnuts. Fry for two minutes more, until the chestnuts start to crisp up, then take off the heat and stir in the thyme and zest.
To serve, put the lardons and chestnuts in a small bowl and place on a large platter. Arrange the cabbage around or alongside, drizzle with a little oil, so your guests can spoon the bacon and chestnuts over their cabbage. Alternatively, just toss everything together.
