Cabbage, Chef Jamie Simpson says, is an either/or vegetable when it comes to culinary techniques. You’ll either want it on and off heat—or you go all in. This charred cabbage recipe is a house favorite at the Culinary Vegetable Institute—one where we go all in with heavy charring.
This is our cabbage on the pedestal, perfect for steak night: quartered and very heavily charred on both sides, it’s sauced with an unconventional classic, Beurre Rouge. It takes twelve minutes to prep and cook and serves four.
Ingredients
For the salad
1 head cabbage
¼ c vegetable oil
For the Beurre Rouge
½ bottle cabernet sauvignon
½ lb. butter, diced
Directions
For the salad
Quarter the head of cabbage lengthwise. In a very hot cast iron pan or grill, place the cabbage cut side down. When light charring begins to occur, gently and carefully add the oil. Allow to sear deep brown.
Turn the head to the other cut side and remove when equal charring occurs. Season with salt and set aside.
Reduce the heat of the pan to medium heat and allow the cabbage to soften.
For the Beurre Rouge
In a medium saucepan, reduce the cabernet to a few tablespoons of liquid.
Mount butter, one cube at a time until fully incorporated. Store warm until ready to serve. If it cools down, or boils, it will break.
Season with salt.
To Assemble and Serve:
Transfer the cabbages to four plates, cut side up.
Spoon the sauce over the cabbages, evenly distributing all of it.
Serve warm with a fork and knife.
Fresh Cabbage at The Chef’s Garden
At the farm, we’re growing multiple varieties of cabbage, both green and red—and with all of them being tender, mild, juicy, and delicious.