Eat the Season: Cabbage | Seasonal Food Inspiration

As Sam Linford-Platt, head of the cookery school at the Vegetarian Society notes, “Cabbage works across a huge range of
cuisines. I often throw it in towards the end of cooking soups and stews. It’s great in stir-fries and noodle dishes or finely chopped in salads and slaw. It’s robust enough to use in fermentation, you’ll see it in kimchi and sauerkraut. More delicate cabbages like
sweetheart cabbage are tender enough for quick cooking, while white and red cabbages stand up well to braising, roasting
and pickling. Raw cabbage shouldn’t be overlooked though. Finely sliced, it brings freshness, crunch and colour.” This month’s recipes feature Savoy, Sweetheart (also known as hispi), White and Red cabbage.

1/ Sear It

The Vegetarian Society’s recipe for Savoy Cabbage, White Bean and Tamarind Mash with Curried Onion Sauce sears the cabbage to bring out its natural sweetness. Sam says, “This elegant dish is an unexpected blend of traditional Indian flavours. Topped with a fragrant curried onion sauce, it is a vegan celebration of wholesome ingredients and creative cooking.”
Recipe: https://vegsoc.org/national-vegetarianweek-2024-recipes-cabbage/

2/ Pancakes

Switch your pancakes up with a shiitake and cabbage alternative called Okonomiyaki. It uses shredded white cabbage, which is mixed into the batter alongside Worcestershire sauce. Sam says, “It is a savoury pancake that is sold by street food vendors in Japan.”
Recipe: https://vegsoc.org/recipes/okonomiyaki/

3/ Flavour with Garlic

Nick Beardshaw, Chef Patron at Starling recommends his Garlic Roasted Hispi Cabbage recipe. It uses hispi cabbage, also known as sweetheart cabbage, which is brushed all over with garlic butter and oven baked. To finish off, it is piped with roasted garlic mayo in neat lines over the cabbage.

4/ Grill It

Bennett Opie recommend partnering a charred whole sweetheart cabbage with tahini, lemon, garlic and zingy capers. The cabbage is cut into wedges, leaving the core intact to hold the leaves together. It is brushed with the tahini mixture and then grilled.

5/ Slaw It

The team at Maple Canada UK recommend combining red cabbage, tahini and maple syrup, shredding the red cabbage and adding finely sliced red onion for texture and flavour. An extra layer of freshness comes from a ribbon of carrot and courgette. The dressing blends tahini, lemon juice, olive oil and Canadian maple syrup.
Recipe: https://www.maplefromcanada.co.uk/

Waste Not, Want Not

“Raw cabbage can be added to salads, slaws, sandwiches and wraps. Or try finely shredding and adding to an omelette with onion. It’s delicious! If you have a glut, think about fermenting – start with sauerkraut,” says Sam.