Salty Sweet Roasted Cabbage - My New Favorite!

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Salty, sweet coconut maple soy roasted cabbage by Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

I made up this new way of preparing cabbage last week and had to make it again today. It is that good. Roasting brings out the cabbage's natural sweetness and the mellow flavor is enhanced by the fruity richness of the coconut oil, the salt of the soy and the smoky sweetness of the maple syrup.

I had two thoughts on tasting the first bite. The first was, "Damn, this is GOOD!" and the second was, "Thank God! Now I can stop leaving those heads of cabbage at the CSA pick-up site every week!"

Coconut oil, maple syrup & soy sauce by Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

The idea was inspired by some roasted cabbage wedges my mom-in-law served a year or two ago as part of one of the many dinners she's made for us. I'd been well and truly surprised by the delicate flavor, sweetness, and appealing softness of those wedges and had had it in the (very) back of my mind to try roasting cabbage ever since.

A head of red cabbage from Hearty Roots Community Farm by Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

So when we started getting cabbages from our CSA, Hearty Roots a few weeks ago, the idea floated up from the murky depths of my mind. Our friend, Liza (the one who introduced me to these wonderful gluten-free muffins), who was over for dinner when I made this told me that the flavor brought her back to her time in the West Indies. Whatever culture it fits with, the flavor is really good.

As with all my favorite recipes, this one is simple and easy. Start with a big head of cabbage. Give it a rinse. Peel off any limp or damaged outer leaves.

A head of red cabbage from Hearty Roots Community Farm by Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

Cut the head of cabbage in half. Remove the core from both halves.

Removing the core from the cabbage Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

Slice it up. You're not going for paper-thin strips here - it needs to be able to stand up to the heat of the oven and still have something left to show for itself at the end.

Slicing the cabbage by Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

Mound it up on a thick baking sheet. You may need to use two if it's a big head of cabbage. Pour coconut oil, soy sauce and maple syrup over it and use your hands to mix it all up and ensure that it's all well-coated. You can also do this step in a mixing bowl if you'd prefer but that's one more bowl you'll have to clean and it's not necessary.

Tossing the salty, sweet coconut maple soy roasted cabbage by Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

Put it in the oven. Set a timer for 15 minutes (since my once sterling memory is now more like a very dull, tarnished silver, I have really come to embrace the timer on my stove) and go clean up whatever mess you made so far. When the timer beeps, take the sheet(s) out and stir them up to give any bits that weren't in contact with the metal a chance and put them back in the oven. Set the timer for another 15 minutes and repeat. And repeat one more time after that. roughly 40 minutes in the oven total.

Salty, sweet coconut maple soy roasted cabbage by Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

Serve warm or cool (but not cold.) I served it with these ginger-soy baked tofu squares, a big bowl of my favorite peanut sauce which is a variation on Deborah Madison's quick peanut sauce in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, and a pot of short-grain brown rice. In addition to being delicious, this cabbage is also gluten-free, dairy-free and completely vegan so you should be able to serve it to pretty much anyone, regardless of their dietary restrictions.

Salty, sweet coconut maple soy roasted cabbage by Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

-- print recipe --
Salty Sweet Roasted Cabbage
Serves 4 as a side

Ingredients

* 1 large head of cabbage (red or green, no matter)
* 2-3 Tbsps coconut oil - if the coconut oil has solidified, heat it briefly to get it to a liquid state
* 2-3 tsps maple syrup
* 3 tsps soy sauce

Directions

1. Turn the oven on to 325. Rinse the cabbage, remove any wilted outer leaves. Cut it in half and remove the tough inner core and stem from both halves. Slice into 1/4 inch strips and mound on a thick baking sheet.

2. Pour the coconut oil, soy sauce and maple syrup over the mound and use your hands to mix it up, making sure all the cabbage is well-coated in the mixture.

3. Put it in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, turning every 15 minutes to ensure even cooking, until the cabbage is soft and tender and some of the thinner strips have turned brown and crispy. If you slice it thinner, it will cook more quickly, thicker strips take a little bit longer - hence the range in cook time above.

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For more delicious recipes, drool-worthy photos, giveaways, and food-related inspiration "Like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter or Pinterest.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

YES! Every time I get a head of cabbage from the CSA I'm like. Crap. Now what? hahahaha... I love sweet and salty roasted cabbage - especially with roasted duck. Toats making this.

Eileen said...

As someone who currently has three cabbages in the refrigerator due to our CSA (and we HAVE been eating them, and there are still three), I am excited to try this out! Sounds perfect with tofu.

Marie said...

This is an amazing way to use cabbage and so easy at that. A great way to spruce up the CSA vegs.

Mimi said...

This a sooo good. I just made this with one of my many CSA cabbages and I love it. Thank you for posting this quick and easy recipe.

Julia said...

This sounds great! We demolished a few farm share red cabbages by stir frying them in duck fat with chestnuts (sliced) and deglazing with some balsamic vinegar. I got the inspiration from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall (spelling probably incorrect...), ate it with magret de canard (duck filet).

Eve Fox said...

Julia, I've been officially one-upped!

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Salty Sweet Roasted Cabbage - My New Favorite!

Salty, sweet coconut maple soy roasted cabbage by Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

I made up this new way of preparing cabbage last week and had to make it again today. It is that good. Roasting brings out the cabbage's natural sweetness and the mellow flavor is enhanced by the fruity richness of the coconut oil, the salt of the soy and the smoky sweetness of the maple syrup.

I had two thoughts on tasting the first bite. The first was, "Damn, this is GOOD!" and the second was, "Thank God! Now I can stop leaving those heads of cabbage at the CSA pick-up site every week!"

Coconut oil, maple syrup & soy sauce by Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

The idea was inspired by some roasted cabbage wedges my mom-in-law served a year or two ago as part of one of the many dinners she's made for us. I'd been well and truly surprised by the delicate flavor, sweetness, and appealing softness of those wedges and had had it in the (very) back of my mind to try roasting cabbage ever since.

A head of red cabbage from Hearty Roots Community Farm by Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

So when we started getting cabbages from our CSA, Hearty Roots a few weeks ago, the idea floated up from the murky depths of my mind. Our friend, Liza (the one who introduced me to these wonderful gluten-free muffins), who was over for dinner when I made this told me that the flavor brought her back to her time in the West Indies. Whatever culture it fits with, the flavor is really good.

As with all my favorite recipes, this one is simple and easy. Start with a big head of cabbage. Give it a rinse. Peel off any limp or damaged outer leaves.

A head of red cabbage from Hearty Roots Community Farm by Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

Cut the head of cabbage in half. Remove the core from both halves.

Removing the core from the cabbage Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

Slice it up. You're not going for paper-thin strips here - it needs to be able to stand up to the heat of the oven and still have something left to show for itself at the end.

Slicing the cabbage by Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

Mound it up on a thick baking sheet. You may need to use two if it's a big head of cabbage. Pour coconut oil, soy sauce and maple syrup over it and use your hands to mix it all up and ensure that it's all well-coated. You can also do this step in a mixing bowl if you'd prefer but that's one more bowl you'll have to clean and it's not necessary.

Tossing the salty, sweet coconut maple soy roasted cabbage by Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

Put it in the oven. Set a timer for 15 minutes (since my once sterling memory is now more like a very dull, tarnished silver, I have really come to embrace the timer on my stove) and go clean up whatever mess you made so far. When the timer beeps, take the sheet(s) out and stir them up to give any bits that weren't in contact with the metal a chance and put them back in the oven. Set the timer for another 15 minutes and repeat. And repeat one more time after that. roughly 40 minutes in the oven total.

Salty, sweet coconut maple soy roasted cabbage by Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

Serve warm or cool (but not cold.) I served it with these ginger-soy baked tofu squares, a big bowl of my favorite peanut sauce which is a variation on Deborah Madison's quick peanut sauce in Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, and a pot of short-grain brown rice. In addition to being delicious, this cabbage is also gluten-free, dairy-free and completely vegan so you should be able to serve it to pretty much anyone, regardless of their dietary restrictions.

Salty, sweet coconut maple soy roasted cabbage by Eve Fox, The Garden of Eating, copyright 2014

-- print recipe --
Salty Sweet Roasted Cabbage
Serves 4 as a side

Ingredients

* 1 large head of cabbage (red or green, no matter)
* 2-3 Tbsps coconut oil - if the coconut oil has solidified, heat it briefly to get it to a liquid state
* 2-3 tsps maple syrup
* 3 tsps soy sauce

Directions

1. Turn the oven on to 325. Rinse the cabbage, remove any wilted outer leaves. Cut it in half and remove the tough inner core and stem from both halves. Slice into 1/4 inch strips and mound on a thick baking sheet.

2. Pour the coconut oil, soy sauce and maple syrup over the mound and use your hands to mix it up, making sure all the cabbage is well-coated in the mixture.

3. Put it in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, turning every 15 minutes to ensure even cooking, until the cabbage is soft and tender and some of the thinner strips have turned brown and crispy. If you slice it thinner, it will cook more quickly, thicker strips take a little bit longer - hence the range in cook time above.

You might also like:
For more delicious recipes, drool-worthy photos, giveaways, and food-related inspiration "Like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter or Pinterest.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

YES! Every time I get a head of cabbage from the CSA I'm like. Crap. Now what? hahahaha... I love sweet and salty roasted cabbage - especially with roasted duck. Toats making this.

Eileen said...

As someone who currently has three cabbages in the refrigerator due to our CSA (and we HAVE been eating them, and there are still three), I am excited to try this out! Sounds perfect with tofu.

Marie said...

This is an amazing way to use cabbage and so easy at that. A great way to spruce up the CSA vegs.

Mimi said...

This a sooo good. I just made this with one of my many CSA cabbages and I love it. Thank you for posting this quick and easy recipe.

Julia said...

This sounds great! We demolished a few farm share red cabbages by stir frying them in duck fat with chestnuts (sliced) and deglazing with some balsamic vinegar. I got the inspiration from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall (spelling probably incorrect...), ate it with magret de canard (duck filet).

Eve Fox said...

Julia, I've been officially one-upped!