Roasted Cabbage Slabs - a Sublime New Way with an Old Vegetable

Magic happens when you give this humble vegetable a turn in a hot oven. Roasted cabbage slabs become deliciously soft, silky, and nutty - divine with their cheesy crunchy topping. I have to stop myself from eating the whole pan. (Skip to recipe.)

We live in a land with two main seasons - a long cold winter and a short glorious summer. Spring and Fall are merely a two-week buffer zone between these two seasons. In the spring we can go from parkas to sunscreen in a matter of days, and this spring has been no exception. Two weeks ago the temperature was a bone-chilling deep freeze of -24°C and today the weatherman says we should hit a high of 25°C.

Summer is here.

Mother Nature is confused. Yesterday our yard looked like this.

There's still ice on the ponds in our neighbourhood.

But the sun is shining and we're out in our t-shirts! There are signs of life stirring in the garden.

Today the last remnants of snow will be graciously escorted out.

I'm constantly walking around the yard to see what changes are happening. I'm hoping the asparagus will be up soon, and maybe the first spring onions. The ground is still frozen, so we'll have to wait a while yet.

Meanwhile, we're enjoying this amazing cabbage dish. Tender slabs of cabbage roasted to sweet soft silkiness, with beautifully caramelized edges, are dressed up in a crispy, cheesy coat of deliciousness. If you've never roasted cabbage, I urge you to give it a try. You wouldn't even recognize this often maligned vegetable. Many people don't think of cabbage outside the realm of coleslaw or sauerkraut, but this dish will make you see cabbage in a whole new light. It becomes the star of the show.

What is it about cabbage that makes us think of a wintery, dull vegetable - only good for pickling and fermenting, or hiding in soups and stews? Why do we say 'he's dumb as a cabbage'? Why is Krautkopf (cabbage head) or just Kraut the name jokingly given to us Germans?

Because we know the secret! (I'm not trying to take credit as the only nation that knows cabbage - many other cultures are totally in on this secret, too.) But we do know how amazingly versatile this humble vegetable is, and how utterly divine it is when cooked properly. This can mean panfrying it in butter with salt and lots of pepper, or braising it in a delicate broth, or wrapping it around meat and stewing it into sweet submission in a tangy tomato sauce.

The sharp brassica becomes sweet and nutty, soft and silky when it's cooked.  My favourite way to eat cabbage as a kid was the way mom made it. She cut a head of cabbage into wedges and simply covered them with water in a large stock pot, then boiled them until they were tender and soft. She drizzled the cooked wedges with melted butter and we slurped the sweet cabbage up greedily.

But I have a new favourite now.

Let's get Cooking our Roasted Cabbage Slabs!

Get yourself a nice, tight head of cabbage.

Slice it, lay the slices onto a parchment-lined pan, and drizzle 'em with oil.

Spread on a luscious layer of mayonnaise, then sprinkle 'em with garlic salt and pepper.

Finally, top each slab with a thick layer of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

And roast them at high heat until the edges get brown and crispy and caramelized and the cheese is crusty and bubbling.

Eat the crispy crusted roasted cabbage slabs while they're still warm; peeling off the layers is half the fun. I betcha can't eat just one!

* * * * *

Kitchen Frau Notes: Be gentle with the slabs when you transport them to the pan. Lift them with a spatula and hold them together with the fingers of your other hand as you transport them. Once the cheesy crust is on, it helps hold them together.

Serve roasted cabbage slabs with sausages, steak, or pork chops, or serve them next to a scoop of buttery mashed potatoes and a salad as the main course for a light lunch or vegetarian option.

Roasted Cabbage Slabs

• 1 small head or ½ large firm head of cabbage (2 lbs/900gms)
• 4 to 5 tablespoons oil (avocado oil or mild olive oil)
• 3 to 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
• about ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• garlic salt (or onion salt)
• pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

When you are buying your cabbage, make sure you get a firm, tight head, heavy for its size.

If you are using a whole small head of cabbage, cut it in half from top to bottom - through the core. If you're using half of a larger head, cut it in half lengthwise to make two quarters of a head..

Leave the core attached and cut each half or quarter of a cabbage head into 1 inch (2.5cm) thick slices crosswise, trying to keep the slices as intact as possible.

Line a large baking pan with parchment paper big enough to stick up an inch or more on each side. Carefully lift up the cabbage slabs, trying to keep them together (use a spatula to help you) and place them on the parchment paper, not touching each other. Tuck back any bits of cabbage that have come away from their slabs.

Drizzle the oil in a thin stream over all the slabs, trying to moisten as much of the cabbage as you can. Be generous, as the excess oil will run off as the cabbage roasts.

Plop a heaped teaspoon of mayonnaise (more if you have half-slices) onto each slab, then spread it around on top of the slab with a pastry brush or your finger, making sure to get right to the edges.

Sprinkle each slab lightly with garlic salt and pepper.

Spread a generous tablespoon or two (depending on the size of your slabs) of grated Parmesan cheese evenly over each slab. Make sure to get right to the edges - this will make a cheesy crust which helps hold the slabs together as they roast.

Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top of the slabs is golden and bubbling, the edges are getting brown and caramelized, and and the cabbage is tender to your liking when you pierce it with the tip of a sharp knife.

Remove the roasted cabbage slabs from the pan, using a thin metal spatula to keep the slices intact.

Serves 4 to 6 (or 2 to 3 greedy nibblers if you don't ration the slabs out!)

Guten Appetit!

 

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