Roasted cabbage and oven fried chicken wings.

In my moments of repose, I often ponder random questions, such as:

“How much cabbage have I eaten in my lifetime?”

In all seriousness, cabbage was pretty much a staple vegetable in my mom’s repertoire. When feeding a family of six, it was the perfect choice. It was inexpensive, filing, nutritious and a good source of roughage – now we call that fiber.

Stock pot of  cut cabbage ready for traditional Southern preparation.

For the most part, mom would cook a head of cabbage Southern style, cutting it into strips and slow cooking it in a pot with onions and bacon fat. That smoky, tasty pot of cabbage accompanied many Sunday dinners of roasted pork pot roast and mashed potatoes with pan gravy.

Ahhh .  .  .  what memories.

I still enjoy cabbage. Now that I know there are literally hundreds of varieties of the cruciferous vegetable grown all over the world, I’ve made it a point in my culinary journey to experience as many of them as I can.

Cannonball cabbage is widely available year round.

But the beloved cannonball cabbage of my youth, commonly known as green cabbage, remains my favorite.

Today, I have a new favorite way of preparing cabbage. I roast it.

Roasting draws out the natural sweetness in vegetables, and brings out an aromatic smokiness. Cooked at high heat, this process gently seams the leafy layers of the cabbage wedges and makes them tender, but not mushy. And more importantly, roasting maintains more of the nutrients which leach out when vegetables are cooked in liquid.

If you like cabbage as much as I do and you are looking for another recipe and cooking method to add to your cabbage repertoire, you will enjoy this roasted cabbage recipe.

The smokiness of the charred leaves combined with a delicate homemade, Asian inspired vinaigrette and garnish of cilantro and grated carrots will become a great alternative to your Sunday pot of Southern cabbage.

Oven Roasted Cabbage with Asian Inspired Vinaigrette

• Servings: 4 to 6
• Difficulty: Very easy
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Smoky charred leaves drizzled with a delicate homemade, Asian inspired vinaigrette.

Ingredients

1 medium head cabbage, cut into 4 to 6 wedges
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Balsamic vinegar for drizzling, optional
salt, cracked black pepper, garlic powder red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 420°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Rinse cabbage and remove the outer layers.
3. Cut cabbage into 4 wedges, 6 wedges if the cabbage is very large.
4. Arrange cabbage wedges on baking sheet. Drizzle  1/2 teaspoon of olive oil on each side of the wedge,
   then season with salt, cracked pepper, garlic powder and red pepper flakes. (Optional, drizzle with balsamic vinegar.)
5. Turn wedges on side and place baking sheet in oven and roast until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
6. Flip wedges and continue roasting until tender and deeply browned, another 10 minutes.
7. Remove from oven, plate and drizzle with vinaigrette and garnish with chopped cilantro and grated carrots.

 

Asian Inspired Vinaigrette

• Servings: 4 to 6
• Difficulty: Very easy
• Print

A delicate homemade, Asian inspired vinaigrette.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Extra-virgin olive
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sesame seed oil
1/4 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon honey
Cracked pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Whisk until thickened.
3. Drizzle over roasted cabbage.