This earthy-luxe baked cabbage recipe comes from food writer Simon Bajada’s Nordic Light, a new cookbook that has us wanting to cozy up in front of a fireplace, like, forever. If you love the streamlined sophistication of Scandinavian design, these pages -complete with gorgeous golden-lit photography – will likely steal your heart. And this seasonal recipe is a cruciferous veggie lover’s dream…
The recipes focus heavily on raw and veggie-based dishes, featuring grains, berries and even some lean meats – each dish offering something that’s a little unexpected and entirely transporting. Indulge in the romance of new Nordic cuisine starting with the bakes cabbage recipe below…
It’s great that high-end restaurants are now offering up things like cabbage wedges as a main course. That was unimaginable in the past. Pointed cabbage, also known as hispi or sweetheart cabbage, is a sweet, soft cabbage perfect for roasting. This can be eaten as a main or served as a side to meat dishes.
BAKED POINED CABBAGE, BELUGA LENTILS & SMOKED CHEESE
Serves 6
Ingredients:
3 dried juniper berries
1 tsp salt
1 lb 2 oz pointed cabbage heads, each cut into 4 wedges
2 Tbsp rapeseed oil
For the lentils:
7 oz / 1 cup dried beluga (small black) lentils, rinsed
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 shallots, finely diced
2 Tbsp best-quality balsamic, sherry or raspberry vinegar
For the smoked cheese sauce:
3/4 oz salted butter
3/4 oz plain (all-purpose) flour
18 fl oz / 2 cups milk
3 1/2 oz smoked cheese such as gouda or cheddar
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Crush the juniper berries together with the salt in a pestle and mortar. Arrange the cabbage wedges on a baking tray, brush with the oil and sprinkle over the juniper–salt mix. Roast the cabbage wedges in the oven for 30 minutes, turning them over 20 minutes into cooking.
While the cabbage is roasting, prepare the lentils and the smoked cheese sauce. Add the lentils to a saucepan together with the salt and 18 fl oz / 2 cups of cold water, bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes until soft (I like them nutty and al dente, but if you prefer them cooked more, add a little water towards the end
and cook a little longer). Drain and return to the pan together with the oil and shallots. Stir through the vinegar, cover with a lid and keep warm.
For the cheese sauce, combine the butter and flour in a separate heavy-based saucepan over a low heat, to form a roux. Whisk in the milk and continue to cook over a low simmer, whisking all the while, for 8–10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Stir through the cheese and set aside.
Once the cabbage has cooked for 30 minutes, remove it from the oven and spoon over half of the cheese sauce. Return to the oven and cook for a further 10 minutes, until the sauce is lightly golden in places.
Remove the wedges from the oven and arrange on a serving platter. Top with a generous scattering of the lentils and serve with bowls of the lentils and cheese sauce for extra helpings.
