Charred Sugarloaf Cabbage with Kombu Butter
This dish lends itself to a really cold winter night. It’s an amazing dish on its own but it also sits well alongside slow-cooked lamb shoulder or game. Cooking the sugarloaf (hispi/pointed) cabbage with kombu and butter adds a rich umami element to the sweet, charred cabbage and finishing it with buttery lardo adds another layer of richness. The pointed sugarloaf is excellent for this dish: it’s structurally resilient under high heat and its compressed leaves are perfect for soaking up all the butter and kombu flavours. If you can’t find it, use half of a very firm Savoy cabbage.
Ingredients 8
2 × 2.5 cm pieces dried kombu, (1 in)
120 ml grapeseed oil
1 sugarloaf cabbage, large, outer leaves removed, halved
150 g unsalted butter
300 ml chicken stock
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
salt, to season
8 slices lardo, optional
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Method 10
Preheat oven to 180°C (360°F).
Using tongs, hold the over an open flame for about 2 minutes, turning often, until lightly toasted. Set aside to cool.
Transfer the to a spice mill or use a mortar and pestle to grind into a fine powder.
Heat the in an ovenproof skillet over a medium-high heat. Cook the , cut-side down, undisturbed for 10–15 minutes, until the underside is blackened (the edge of the sides will start to brown as well).
Reduce heat to medium-low, add all but two knobs of the to the skillet and shake the pan to help the butter get around and under the . As soon as the butter is melted and foaming, tilt the skillet towards you and spoon the browning butter over the cabbage, being sure to bathe the area around the thickest part.
Add the and and place the skillet in the oven for 20 minutes – or until the is tender.
Remove from the oven, add the remaining and the toasted kombu powder, return to medium-heat on the stovetop and baste with the butter and kombu for a further 5 minutes.
Transfer the to a cutting board and cut into 2 halves. Reserve the cooking juices in the pan. Pull leaves open slightly and season with salt.
Arrange the over the warm and leave to sit for 1–2 minutes for the lardo to soften.
Transfer to a serving plate and dress with the reserved juices from the pan.
