Caramelised cabbage
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 1 to 2 hours
- Serve
- Serves 4
Caramelising cabbage creates a delicious side dish for roast meats that's deeply savoury and a little bit sweet. Bacon, miso and mustard amp up the flavour even more – this is worlds away from the bland boiled cabbage you remember from school dinners.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter, plus 1 knob of butter
- 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 50g/1¾oz smoked bacon lardons
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 Savoy cabbage, shredded
- 2 onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp sweet white miso
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp chicken or vegetable stock
- handful fresh flatleaf parsley, finely chopped
- handful fresh chives, finely chopped
- 1 heaped tbsp crème fraîche
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Heat the butter in a large saucepan or casserole over a medium heat. Add the garlic, lardons and thyme to the pan and cook for a few minutes, or until fragrant but not coloured.
Add the cabbage and onion to the pan, along with a few spoons of water and a large pinch of salt. Cover with a lid and steam over a medium–low heat for 10 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent it burning or sticking.
Remove the lid and continue to cook for 30–45 minutes over a medium–low heat, stirring throughout. Add splashes of water if it begins to stick or brown too fast.
When everything is completely soft and browned, add the miso, mustard, vinegar, soy sauce and stock. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the acidity is to your liking and everything tastes good.
Finish by stirring through a knob of butter and the herbs. Top with the crème fraîche and serve as a side dish.
Recipe tips
You can add the mustard earlier on in the process if you want a less intense flavour, so it cooks out, or put it in closer to the end if you want a stronger flavour.
