Heavenly Braised Cabbage + Gremolata

Heavenly Braised Cabbage + Gremolata

A magical preparation that turns the humble head of cabbage into a buttery, robust, heavenly dish. Serve with mashed potatoes or cauliflower, creamy polenta or a bed of soupy white beans for a heart-warming winter main course.

one large round cabbage - green or red

2-4 tbsp olive oil

Himalayan salt, to taste

½ tsp fresh ground pepper

pinch red pepper flakes

2 medium shallots, sliced

6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 cup veggie broth

1/2 cup wine (white for green cabbage - red for red cabbage)

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp fresh thyme or sub 1 tsp dried

1 tbsp sherry vinegar or apple cider vinegar

Cut cabbage in half, core, then cut into quarters, then eights-so you have 8 equal sized wedges.

Heat oil in an extra large, wide oven-proof skillet that has a lid. Sprinkle 1 tsp salt, and ½ tsp pepper to the oil. And a pinch of pepper flakes, and swirl over medium high heat. Sear the wedges of cabbage in batches, setting to the side on a plate once lightly browned.

Turn heat to medium. Add the shallots and garlic to the empty pan and give a stir, and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and wine and another pinch of salt, bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Add bay leaves, & thyme.

Turn heat off and arrange cabbage, overlapping in a circle. Drizzle the cabbage with 1 tbsp vinegar. Bring to a simmer, cover tightly and place in the oven for 1 ½ hours. While the cabbage is cooking, make the Gremolata.

Gremolata

A zesty Italian herb sauce that brightens and enlivens meats, pasta, soups, stews, roasted veggies and avocado toast! Keeps for 7-10 days in the fridge.

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley

1 tsp garlic powder or 2 garlic cloves, finely minced

Zest of one lemon

Juice of on lemon juice

¼ - ½ cup olive oil

1/8– 1/4 tsp Himalayan salt

1/4 tsp pepper, more to taste

pinch red pepper flakes

To make by hand:

Place chopped parsley leaves, garlic, zest, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Give a stir. Taste. Add more lemon juice if you like. You want this to be salty and lemony. If you want a looser consistency add a little more oil. Add a pinch of pepper flakes for heat.

To make in a food processor:

Place unchopped parsley leaves, garlic and zest in a food processor and pulse until chopped. Add oil, salt & pepper and lemon juice. Pulse again, until uniformly combined but not too smooth. Taste and adjust salt and lemon juice. Add pepper flakes for a touch of heat.