Roasted Cabbage

I admit that a photograph of charred cabbages might not look too appealing on my blog, but give this recipe a try and you might not want to cook them again any other way!  So simple and delicious.  Cut into quarters, grilled on stovetop and then roasted in the oven, the humble vegetable softens and sweetens up with a smoky flavour.  Seasoning of the cabbages with soy sauce, rice vinegar and grated parmesan cheese is somewhat an East meets West, but believe me, it works.  I use hispi or sweetheart cabbages for their beautiful shape and buttery texture but any medium size cabbages will do just fine.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 hispi or any medium size cabbage, about 500g / 1lb 2oz
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

METHOD

1. Quarter cabbage lengthways, leaving the stem on to hold the leaves together.
2. Brush the wedges all over with 3 tablespoons oil.  Place cut sides up on a grill plate or pan with a heat proof handle* over the stove on high heat to char the outer layers of the cabbages, about 3 minutes.
3. Place the grill plate or pan into a preheated 200°C/400°F oven to roast for 20-25 minutes or until the wedges have fully softened and nicely brown on top.
4. Remove wedges from the oven to a serving platter.  Drizzle remaining olive oil, soy sauce and vinegar on top.
5. Sprinkle over with grated parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.  Serve warm. 

*If you are using a grill pan with a heat proof handle, you might need to do it in 2 batches.  Protect your hands with oven mitts.  After you've taken the grill pan out of the oven, the handle of the pan will remain hot for a while.  Wrap a towel loosely around the handle as a precaution.