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Roasted savoy cabbage

Updated: Fri, 16 October, 2020

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Roasted savoy cabbage charred in the skillet and then baked in the oven for 20 minutes, my childhood throwback and one of the best, less common side dishes for fish or pork.

roasted savoy cabbage cuisinefiend.com

Savoy cabbage - my childhood throwback

I didn’t like many vegetables when I was a kid. My mother wasn’t a fantastic cook to put it mildly, and my father supported the ‘don’t have what you like, like what you have’ parenting style. So my mealtimes were a bit of a misery time.

I was a very obedient child so even though carrots frightened me, lettuce made me retch and broccoli gave me nightmares, I’d chew and swallow my hateful sides with my dinners like a good girl.

Grated carrot salad – bleurgh, I'm still not keen on grated carrot. Spinach was acceptable only when mushed into mashed potatoes. Cauliflower used to be boiled until almost dissolved so when I first encountered roasted cauliflower I thought it was an entirely different vegetable.

But savoy cabbage marked the day with a white stone. It was rather vile to my present mind: overcooked, under-seasoned and limp and grey. But it was the only vegetable I liked and that’s to say a lot.

charred and baked savoy cabbage wedges cuisinefiend.com

The savoy would arrive in quarters, like in my recipe here, but it had been plainly braised on the hob instead of infused with herbs in the oven. The herbs there were none to infuse it. There was just limp garlic clinging to the leaves and far too little salt and pepper.

I simply adored the dish.

This recipe takes me back but it’s really good, I say with relief. Frankly, cooking better than my mum did isn’t a difficult trick (no offence, Mum – you always said it yourself!). So savoy cabbage is still one of my favourite vegetables only I can cook it so much better.

Can you eat savoy cabbage raw?

It looks posher and more refined than its red, green or white aka hammerhead cousins. It’s vibrant green in colour and interestingly bubbly in texture. It spreads its outer leaves expansively and looks appetising enough to eat raw.

Savoy cabbage cuisinefiend.com

That would be a mistake though: appearances deceive and savoy cabbage is exceptionally tough and fibrous raw. It needs quite a bit of cooking, braising, roasting – or shredding finely and stir frying energetically with lots of heat.

It is lovely stuffed with meat or rice, an East European take on dolmados, Greek stuffed vine leaves. The savoy texture is actually so close to vine leaves that I wonder who copied who.

How to cook savoy cabbage?

I like the combination of charring it until nearly burnt and then sousing it with stock and braising in the oven.

Cut into wedges, quarters or eights depending on the size of the head, it is seared on all sides in an ovenproof frying pan with only a little oil.

Savoy cabbage quarters cuisinefiend.com

The oven braising stage, with stock and butter, needs covering with a lid. No ovenproof pan with a matching lid? Transferring the cabbage from a frying pan to a lidded casserole is pointless faff so in the worst case you can cover your pan with a baking tray.

And then the last stage: the wonderful topping of breadcrumbs, herbs and Parmesan (which is so good I call them magic breadcrumbs and sprinkle over veg liberally and often) lands on the cabbage wedges and bakes there for a few final minutes.

It is a side dish but it’s really good enough to be a standalone centrepiece for supper or for a weekend lunch, with some crusty bread to mop us the juices.

baking savoy cabbage quarters cuisinefiend.com

More cabbage recipes

Unlike Savoy, spring green cabbage is delightful in a raw salad, like this crunchy cabbage salad.

And here is the other end of the spectrum: cabbage cooked so long it becomes crisp and caramelised.

Red cabbage is not just for Christmas. My method is quick and easy – stir frying, with festive spices, apples and raisins.

More vegetable side recipes

Celeriac gratin is a nice way of presenting this versatile root vegetable.

Brussels sprouts two ways – for sprout heads and tops which we often stupidly chuck into the bin.

Broccoli, but not as you know it: sesame roasted broccoli is so much more interesting than plain boiled or steamed florets!



Roasted savoy cabbage

Servings: 2-4Time: 50 minutes
Rating: (6 reviews)

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 head of savoy cabbage
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 tbsp. rapeseed or groundnut oil
  • 300ml (1¼ cup) beef or vegetable stock
  • 2 tbsp. butter
  • 2 tbsp. dry breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp. grated Parmesan
  • a few sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped


METHOD

1. Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage and trim the base. Cut it crosswise into quarters.

2. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Heat 2 tbsp. of the oil in an ovenproof casserole or skillet with a lid (or borrow a just about fitting lid from another pan). Arrange the cabbage quarters in the skillet and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes on each cut side, until charred.

Searing savoy cabbage wedges cuisinefiend.com

3. Turn them cut sides up, lower the heat and add the stock and butter. Cover with a lid and transfer to the oven for 20 minutes.

4. In the meantime toss together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, thyme and the remaining tablespoon of oil. After the 20 minutes lift the lid from the cabbage dish, sprinkle the breadcrumb mix over the quarters and return to the oven, uncovered, for another 10 minutes.

5. Serve as a side with fish, sausages, pork or just on its own with crusty bread.

Originally published: Fri, 29 December, 2017


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Your comments

Anna @ CuisineFiend
Hi Tony - thank you. I think Savoy is quite underrated, with Napa and hispi ruling the cabbage world. And what a great combo it sounds with pasta!
2 years ago
Tony Sabatino
I ordered a Napa cabbage from the store and got a Savoy cabbage instead. Searched for a recipe for what to do with this thing and came across this. Made it as a contorni to a simple pasta dish. My wife was skeptical, I had to practically force her to try it, but the dish is oddly compelling, with a mild nuttiness that keeps you coming back for another bite. Simple, but huge return on the effort expended.
2 years ago
Anna @ CuisineFiend
Hi Arla - thank you! And it sounds like a great twist on the recipe!
3 years ago
Arla Kennedy
This is the most AMAZING savoy cabbage recipe I've ever made! Will be a frequent repeater in my home! It was loved by EVERYONE! And when I say everyone...kids included! I switched up a couple things. I used cold pressed Avocado oil to sear the cabbage and instead of breadcrumbs I pulverized EVERYTHING SEASONED PARM CRISPS and that provided the parm cheese too. But being a lover of parm, of course I sprinkled extra on top! Thanks for sharing your recipe!! BRAVO!!!!
3 years ago
Anna @ CuisineFiend
Hi Rebecca - so happy to hear it!
3 years ago
Rebecca
This recipe is fantastic! I've made it with savoy cabbage, napa cabbage, and even regular green cabbage. I love that you don't even have to core the cabbage (just trim it). The only change I'd make is that I found I only need medium or slightly less to char the cabbage on the stove, but of course each stove is different. Thank you so much for a new favorite :)
3 years ago
Anna @ CuisineFiend
Hi Harold - thank you! I'm really pleased you enjoyed it.
4 years ago
Harold
@Savoy cabbage - my childhood throwback
Fantastic! I not an accomplished cook, but I loved to cook. Your recipe encourages my passion!
4 years ago
Anna @ CuisineFiend
Hi Ken - that's so lovely to hear! Hope you find lots of enjoyable recipes.
4 years ago
Kenneth Lee
@Ken
If you took one of the healthiest vegetables combined with the easiest prep and recipe possible, and then packed in tons of flavor, you would get this dish! I made this for a special dinner Sunday night. It is the best thing I have ever done with cabbage. This was the first recipe I tried on your site, and it won't be the last. Time to read what else you have cooking! Anna, thank you very much!
4 years ago
Margaret
This is simple and delish!! I eat it as a meal with some Naan. Thank you so much for sharing!
4 years ago
Anna @ CuisineFiend
Hi Vaughan - thank you and yay indeed!
4 years ago
Vaughan Adams
We love roasted brussels sprouts. This is that times 10! Have shared with all foodie friends and relatives. Yay cruciferous vegetables!
4 years ago
1 

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Hello! I'm Anna Gaze, the Cuisine Fiend. Welcome to my recipe collection.

I have lots of recipes for you to choose from: healthy or indulgent, easy or more challenging, quick or involved - but always tasty.


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