Roasted Cabbage With Thyme and Lemon

My first foray into growing cabbage has been mostly successful. Cabbages definitely grew, but the summer heat caused all but one to split, and my floating row cover was a failure at keeping out the cabbage moths. Overall though I’d say it was worth doing.  The cabbage moths mostly stuck to the outer leaves and the splitting is mostly just unsightly – though I know they will not store for as long as they would have without the open edges. However, I still grew cabbage, and delicious cabbage at that!

The first one I harvested was promptly turned into naturally fermented sauerkraut, the second went into a coleslaw and a third, quite small one, I decided to roast. It’s diminutive size was perfect for just two of us at the dinner table and even then I only used about 2/3 of it.

Roasting cruciferous veggies like cauliflower and cabbage turns their somewhat sulphurous flavour into a sweet and mellow delight. See all those dark caramelized bits? Those are the best part, making the cabbage wedges really delicious.

The method is really simple, just as it is for all roasted veggies. Cut into even sized wedges, place on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of kosher salt. Pop them into a hot oven and roast for about a half of an hour.

This version is then further dressed with a lemon and thyme vinaigrette to boost the flavour. 

We ate ours with roasted chicken breast and the ever-present-at-this-time-of-the-year summer squash, but these would nicely compliment any sort of roasted meats.

I’ve got just one cabbage left in the garden. The one grown in the shadiest, and therefore coolest, spot. It’s a smaller one, but due, I think, to its location it also has not yet split open. As the days get cooler we’ll see how it does.

I’ll definitely be trying cabbage again next year as I have really enjoyed having them in the garden. Maybe a different variety, though the Green Acre that I bought is by far the most commonly sold as starters here.

Next year though I think I’ll also be trying Bt (Bacillus Thuringiensis) as a natural pesticide, either on its own or in conjunction with my row covers. I have no idea how those sneaky little moths got in there! Buggers!

Roasted Cabbage with Lemon and Thyme

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 4

Author: Mia Staysko

A sweet and savoury side dish, full of healthy antioxidants.

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Ingredients

• One small green or red cabbage
• 4 Tbsp approximately Olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt
• Lemon juice from 1/2 of a fresh lemon
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme chopped (or 1 1/2 tsp dried)
• Black pepper

Instructions

For the cabbage

1. Preheat oven to 425°
2. Peel off any outer leaves of cabbage that are wilted or damaged. Trim stem end.
3. Cut cabbage lengthwise in half, then cut each half into 3-4 wedges, depending on the size of the cabbage. You want them to be about 1" thick at the fattest part and all roughly the same size.
4. Place cabbage wedges onto a baking sheet and drizzle with a bit of olive oil, turn over gently and repeat. Sprinkle about 1 tsp of salt over wedges.
5. Place baking sheet into hot oven and roast for about 30 minutes, gently flipping the wedges at the halfway point.
6. When cabbage is done you will be able to poke a fork into the most solid part of a wedge and it should go in fairly easily. A slight resistance is fine, especially if you prefer your veggies a bit crunchy and not over cooked.
7. Remove from oven and drizzle with vinaigrette.
8. Serve hot or warm

For the vinaigrette

1. Whisk together 2-3 Tbsp olive oil with the lemon juice, chopped thyme leaves and a few grindings of fresh black pepper.
2. Drizzle over hot cabbage and toss very gently before serving.