Her recipe, the very first I encountered of roasted cabbage wedges –many have been published since– inspired me to try my version.

I omitted the anchovies and parmesan, but added both soy and fish sauce, as well as a large pinch of my favorite hot Florina smoked pepper, along with plenty of rosemary, which I think complements beautifully this Asian-Mediterranean roasted cabbage.  Costas and I loved it, and we make it quite regularly these days.

It accompanies beautifully any kind of meat or chicken, but we also eat it with the wonderful olive-oil-fried eggs from our neighbor’s hens, and feta cheese.

Serves 3- 4 

1 medium head green cabbage (1 ½ kilo, about 3 pounds)

½ cup fruity olive oil, plus more to drizzle at the end

¼  cup soy sauce

2  tablespoons fish sauce

3-4 garlic cloves, finely grated, or passed through a garlic press

2 teaspoons piperokama or any good smoked, hot pepper

¼ cup rosemary leaves, and more sprigs to serve

Freshly ground black pepper, as needed

½ cup whole wheat breadcrumbs, or chopped walnuts or other nuts, such as almonds or hazelnuts

Heat oven to 450 F (230 C).

Cut the cabbage in quarters lengthwise through the core, then cut out the cores and stem. Slice the quarters lengthwise into about 1½-inch-thick (3,5 cm) wedges.

Place the wedges on a rimmed sheet pan, lined with parchment paper, flat sides down. It’s OK if the pan seems a bit crowded; the wedges will shrink as they roast but try not to overlap much, if possible. Lightly drizzle them with oil.

In a small bowl, combine the soy and fish sauces, the garlic, the smoked pepper and the rosemary leaves. Add about ½ cup olive oil and stir to mix. Massage this mixture into each cabbage wedge, making sure it goes in-between the leaves.

Roast until cabbage is lightly browned in spots, about 20 minutes. Spritz with water, nd contilue roasting another 10 minutes, until the cabbage is tender and caramelized. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and roast another 10 minutes, then remove from the oven, drizzle with a bit more olive oil, sprinkle with some black pepper and serve immediately or let cool and serve at room temperature.

The post Roasted Cabbage with Smoked Pepper and Rosemary appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

To make it substitute cabbage for the other greens in the recipe for Risotto with Greens.

 Although I think that it tastes best piping hot, it could also be served at room temperature, as my husband likes it too.

Serves 3 as main course; 5-6 as a side dish

About 1/3 cup olive oil

1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (optional)

4-5 cups shredded cabbage, not too thinly

2 medium carrots, grated

1 ½ tablespoon tomato paste

1 ¼  cups Arborio rice or other good-quality medium grain rice

1/2 cup white wine

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

Salt and plenty of Aleppo/Maras pepper flakes, to taste

½ cinnamon stick

About 8 cups very hot vegetable or chicken broth, or water (see NOTE)

 Good olive oil for drizzling

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Diced feta, Grated Parmesan, Grana Padano or aged Graviera (optional)

1 lemon or lime, quartered (optional) .

Warm the olive oil and sauté the onions for about 8 minutes, on medium-low, tossing often. Add the garlic, if using, and toss a few times then add the cabbage and carrots and increase the heat to medium-high. Sauté another 4-6 minutes, until the cabbage is softened and glistening.

Add the tomato paste and toss a few times. Pour in the wine, add salt and pepper flakes, and cook for another cook for a few minutes, until the wine evaporates.

 Add the rice and the cinnamon stick and stir a few times, then pour in 1 cup of hot broth and cook, stirring frequently. Add the cherry tomatoes and continue adding broth by the ladle, as the rice absorbs the liquid, until it is almost cooked, about 15 minutes until the rice is al dente.

Remove from the heat. Add pepper and lemon juice, if you like and fold in the cheese, if you like, or serve the cheese separately.  Ttaste to correct the seasoning, finishing with a drizzle of good olive oil and some finely grated lemon juice and zest, if you like.  

Serve immediately.  

NOTE:

Instead of vegetable broth, soak 1/2 cup dried Porcini mushrooms in warm water for 20 minutes.  Chop them finely with scissors and add to the rice with their strained liquid, after the wine has evaporated. Cook the risotto as described, adding boiling water in place of stock as needed. 

The post Lahanoryzo: Cabbage Risotto appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

I first tasted the cabbage and carrot salad at Ourania’s Tavern, on Samos island, and was fascinated. Ourania, the owner and cook, told us that the longer you leave the salad in the fridge, the better it gets;  she was right, of course.

Adding fruity olive oil and maybe 1-2 teaspoons Dijon mustard her ‘marinade’ becomes my go-to vinaigrette for all kinds of seasonal, mixed salads. 

4 to 6 servings

4 – 5 cups finely shredded green cabbage (about 1/2 a medium cabbage) 

3 medium carrots, peeled, and shredded  

1/4 cup fresh orange juice 

1/4 cup white ‘balsamic’ vinegar 

About 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon or more ground black pepper

3–4 small dill pickles (about 2 inches long), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced  (optional)

1/2 cup halved, and seeded red bell pepper, finely cut into thin strips

A small handful of fresh mint leaves

Fruity olive oil 

In a large bowl, combine the cabbage and carrots with the orange juice and vinegar, the salt and pepper. Rub, squeeze and toss the cabbage mixture with your hands until reduced in volume by about a half. 

(The salad can be prepared up to this point a few hours in advance, or even a few days, then covered and refrigerated.)

In the serving bowl, combine the cabbage, pickles, if you are using them, with the red pepper, and some coarsely shredded mint leaves. 

Drizzle liberally with fruity olive oil and taste to adjust the seasonings, adding more salt, pepper, vinegar or orange juice, if needed. Garnish with mint leaves and serve.

VARIATION:

For a colorful, mixed salad use all or some of the following: any lettuce (romaine, frisée, iceberg), purslane (if available), maybe some diced cucumber, small tomatoes, chopped olives (green or black), along with sliced orange, and shredded radicchio for the bitterness we so much love, plus fragrant mint.

Dress it with the above described orange juice and vinegar, adding maybe 1-2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, salt and pepper, of course, and plenty of fruity olive oil!

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