There's been plenty of times when i desired cabbage but i never ended up making/preparing it because of the silly notion i had in my head that i would never be able to finish a full head-- I always ended up getting brussel sprouts instead, the delicacy ver$ion of cabbage, if you will. I was flipping through some cookbooks recently-- recipe searching for my latest project-- and i stumbled upon a gorgeous, saliva-inducing photo of roasted cabbage. I'm a big roaster when it comes to veg but [regular] cabbage never entered my mind. And especially with the weather having taken a turn or, rather, downfall, roasted cabbage seemed fittingly appropriate.
Cabbage is considered poor man's vegetable-- it's darn cheap. I bought my head for 59 cents a pound, which amounts to about less than $1.75 for a head around the size of average icebergs. But that price is when it wasn't on sale. I've seen it go as low as 29 cents on a regular weekly sale and probably lower during St. Patricks [Holi]Day.
So here's what you do:
Cabbage doesn't really need washing-- price aside, another nice feature. Peel off the outer, wilting layers and rinse. Cleaning, done. Cut head in half-- the cabbage's, that is, in case you got a lil confused-- cut through the core. Then take one half an just slice it vertically, core facing you, about 1/2 inch thick. The thickness doesn't have to be 1/2 inch, just remember: thicker slices will take longer to cook and you won't get as many slices, vice versa for thinner. A word about the core: I think everyone assumes the core is inedible but.. it's not. And as a poor [wo]man, it's nice not to waste. Plus, the core helps keep the slices together. Just trim the bottom of the core from where it was cut [as a means of cleaning-- exposed tends to absorb dirt etc.].
To cook: Drizzle/spray roasting pan with oil [I used canola]. Lay slices down. Drizzle/spray cabbage. Roasting the cabbage needs at least some oil: a) so it won't dry out, and b) so it's have a good savory taste. So fat-free-ers: get over it..
A note about the roasting pan: roasting pans are typically dark. A [light] cookie sheet doesn't really suffice. See, the idea of roasting is to get these puppies caramelized. To get good caramelization [burning of sugars and hence gaining incredible taste] you need high heat. Oven temps will can only get you so far-- it's the contact of the food to pan that does it. In a [few] word[s]: Use a dark roasting pan. It's ok if you use foil even though foil's light, the dark pan will get the foil hot enough.
O, I forgot to mention: oven temps. We're roasting.. For the most part, roasting begins at 400 degF, lowest. I set my oven to 411degF. That's my way of saying: why do oven temps always have to be in increments of 25deg or multiples of 5? Point: it doesn't. So, 411degF it was. Put pan with cabbage slices on lower third rack.
Once the cabbage seems sufficiently caramelized, I finish the cooking process by dripping some water over the cabbage so they'll get soft. Caramelization for taste [~15-20min or so], water for texture [~10min or so].
I ate this with carrots and tofu. I was in the mood for soft, cooked carrots to go with so instead of boiling/steaming [which would take more effort and cleaning] I roasted the carrots [sort of] as well. I cut and peeled them but covered them with a cabbage leaf, so they simultaneously steamed. As for the tofu, i sliced them and heated them in a pan and drizzled soy sauce to flavor them-- very simple.
What it looks like when done:
The underside/flipped over:
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