Fiery Roasted Cabbage

I know what you’re thinking okay…cabbage is not a sexy thing to cook.

Hear me out: I was eating at a restaurant in downtown Toronto and ordered an entree that had grilled cabbage, among other beautiful components like seared scallops and butter-roasted potatoes. I had every intention of scraping that cabbage to the side of my plate and forgetting it existed because I truly do not like it very much. Even being Polish, I can’t say that I’m much of a fan of cabbage rolls.

But what I got was not limpy, boiled cabbage leaves. No no no; this grilled cabbage wedge was savoury, it was earthy, and wowza, it was one of the best components on the dish. And it got me thinking….what if all I ever needed was crispy edges on cabbage for me to change my opinion?

Well, friends, I’m here to tell you about the success of roasting cabbage. Smother it in garlic, olive oil, and fiery chilli powder and you’ve got yourself one happy lady.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 Green cabbage,
• Olive oil, 1/3 cup,
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp of paprika
• 1 tsp of onion powder
• 1 tsp of chilli powder
• S+P to taste, season each wedge separately
  To cook the whole cabbage, double the seasoning and amount of oil.

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F + line a baking tray with parchment paper.
   
2. Remove the first few outer leaves of the cabbage and cut the cabbage in half. From there, cut in half again and then into 1/2 thick rounds so that you have half moon shapes.
   
3. Mix your spices together in a small bowl first, before adding 1/3 cup of olive oil and combining together–it should look like a loose paste. Spread the oil and spice mixture onto the cabbage wedges evenly and massage the spices and garlic into the layers of the cabbage with your fingers.
   
4. Season each wedge with salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes.
   Check on the wedges as a crispiness check before drizzling a few tablespoons of extra oil on the wedges and baking for another 15-20 minutes. They should be crispy on the edges and fork-tender at its core.

Peace and good eats, guys.
– A❁