Serves 4 as a side dish

March is a great time of year to eat savoy cabbages and here is a great way to cook one.

Roasting cabbage in the oven adds so much flavour. Each wedge is like a rainbow of textures and means they are soft and juicy from a little steaming yet slightly charred and crispy from roasting. This makes a great accompaniment to steamed fish, a rich stew or roasted meat. 

Choose all or some of the suggested toppings below and of course it’s easily vegetarian or vegan if you like.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C
2. Discard any big, discoloured outer cabbage leaves. With the stalk intact, cut the cabbage into quarters then cut each quarter into 5 wedges. Place the 20 wedges carefully into a colander so they stay together as much as possible
3. Boil a full kettle of water and pour it over the cabbage. Leave for a couple of minutes to drain and cool then carefully arrange the wedges in one layer on a baking tray and cover tightly with foil
4. Place into the oven for 20 minutes then take out of the oven and remove the foil
5. Sprinkle over the bacon bits, if using, and drizzle the whole tray with olive oil then return to the oven, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes
6. Add the pine nuts for the last 5 minutes of cooking, if using
7. Serve sprinkled with, chilli flakes, parmesan and/or lemon zest & juice

Recipe by Charlotte Simpkins for Freely Fruity