the kale salad that started it all gremolata-style roasted mushrooms burnt carrots with honey and almonds crushed and fried potatoes with crispy herbs Brussels sprouts with lemon, anchovy, and Pecorino and skhug, which I could drizzle over anything but which I especially like with cauliflower and roasted delicata squash
Here’s the latest hit to add to the list: roasted cabbage wedges with walnuts, parmesan and balsamic. The recipe reminded me foremost how delicious roasted cabbage is without anything more than olive oil, salt and a hit of vinegar upon exiting the oven. BUT, it also reminded me how little touches can bring an otherwise ordinary dish to a whole new level. Here, that touch comes by way of a bright, textured salsa made with olive oil, garlic, fresh lemon juice, and equal amounts of toasted walnuts, dried bread crumbs, and grated parmesan cheese. The salsa, which on its own tastes very lemony and a bit salty, gets spooned over the wedges of sweet, caramelized cabbage, which temper the sharpness. I made this for dinner one night using a purply cabbage from our CSA, then made it again the following night using a head of Savoy cabbage. Both were delicious. I’ve been serving it alongside pizza, but I think it would be especially good with this parmesan-roasted chicken.
Crispy Roasted Cabbage How-To:
Cut the cabbage through the core into about 8-10 wedges. Toss with olive oil and salt on a rimmed baking sheet; then roast for 15 minutes at 475ºF. Meanwhile, gather your salsa ingredients: olive oil, lemon, garlic, walnuts, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and parmesan. Combine them in a bowl. Stir to combine. When the cabbage is nicely bronzed, toss it with a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar or saba*.
Spoon the salsa over top and serve immediately. 4.8 from 11 reviews To toast walnuts: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spread the walnuts on a sheet pan. Transfer to the oven and cook for about 9 minutes or until the nuts are golden and smelling toasty. Remove, let cool, then, if you’re up for it, transfer to a tea towel and rub away the skins. Then transfer nuts to a sieve and shake to remove the papery skins. To make dried bread crumbs: Preheat the oven to 250ºF. Pulse stale bread in a food processor until fine, like the texture of coarse polenta. Spread onto a rimmed sheet pan. Transfer to the oven and cook 45-60 minutes or until very dry—crumbs should take on very little color. If you like video guidance, check out this Instagram Story.