I know I said burnt. But wait!!
I know saying Burnt Cabbage with Pecorino & Honey Walnut might send you running for the hills, your face all scrunched up and anger coursing through you as you wonder what in the ever loving heck a food blogger is doing telling you to make something “burnt”. I hear you. I get you. I could call this “charred” or “blackened” or “pan-seared” just to pique your culinary curiosity and make it sound fancy schmancy. But friends, the bottom line is this…
This cabbage is pretty much burnt. And I’m not sorry. I made this and polished off the entire thing to myself. I’m not sorry for that either.
Some of the cabbage is soft and supple and all those dark edges are perfectly crispy… and the combination is just heaven. Drizzle it all in a creamy, slightly sweet, delicious walnut vinaigrette, shower it with cheese, walnuts & fresh herbs and give it one final acidic hit of lemon and it’s just so, so good.
Burnt Cabbage with Pecorino & Honey Walnut Vinaigrette, the details…
A couple of key points to this recipe, but it’s actually pretty simple and comes together quickly.
Slice your cabbage into thick ribbons and get it cooking in a good slick of oil in a very hot pan. Because I use cast iron, I like to get the pan super hot, add in the oil and the cabbage and turn the heat down a bit because when cast iron gets hot, it gets HOT. Once the cabbage is in, don’t mess with it. Let it cook, undisturbed until there are lots of really dark spots. Then give it a toss and let it sit again. Add in your onion, season and plate.
While it cooks you can make your dressing and grate your cheese. Top the cabbage and then spinkle over some walnuts and parsley. It’s not absolutely essential, but a good squeeze of fresh lemon at the end really makes it all sing.
Ingredients & Subs
- Cabbage – I use regular green cabbage, but savoy is good too.
- Cheese – Pecorino Romano is delicious in this, but you can easily sub in Parmesan, Feta, or even a good, sharp, aged cheddar.
FAQs
You can , but because it’s not heavy and doesn’t get as crazy hot, you might not get the same level of char as you do with cast iron. It will still brown up though and still be super tasty.
Yes. I use avocado, but you don’t have to. Just make sure you use a high-heat tolerant oil because you’re cooking in high temperatures. Here’s a good article on cooking oils.
Recipe-ish…
Let me know what you think!
Burnt Cabbage with Pecorino & Honey Walnut Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 2 Tbsp walnuts
- 1 Tbsp water
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 1/2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup olive oil
For the cabbage:
- 1 small green cabbage cut into thick ribbons
- 3 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1/4 red onion sliced
For serving:
- 1/4 cup Pecorino cheese grated
- 1/4 cup walnuts chopped
- 2 Tbsp parsley chopped
- Lemon
Instructions
- To make the dressing add the walnuts, water, mustard, honey and vinegar to a blender and blend until smooth.
- With the blender running slowly pour the oil in and blend until emulsified and smooth. Season with S&P.
- Heat a cast iron pan over high heat for a few minutes until it’s hot.
- Pour in the avocado oil and add in the cabbage. Reduce the heat to medium and leave the cabbage to cook undisturbed for 5-6 minutes, until charred in spots.
- Give it a good toss and leave undisturbed again for several minutes until softened and there are lots of charred bits.
- Give it a good season with S&P and add in the onions. Stir and cook for a few minutes more
- Remove to a platter, drizzle with some of the dressing then sprinkle over the cheese, walnuts, parsley and give it all a good squeeze of lemon.
If you like this Recipe for Burnt Cabbage with Pecorino & Honey Walnut Vinaigrette please go try my Recipe for Miso Fried Rice with Brown Butter, Crispy Kale & Mushrooms.
Had a similar dish at one of my favorite restaurants and was desperate to try to recreate it. This is so close and equally as delicious. I’ve made it 3 times already! Used a grainy mustard in place of Dijon and feta as that’s what we had on hand. Many thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for the review Tara!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂