When Good Things Come Together [Roasted Savoy Cabbage with Apples, Pine Nuts and Cranberries]

Don’t you love when a meal just falls together like a stack of dominoes toppling over? All you have to do is open the fridge and magically everything you need is there, waiting for you to poke and prod it into a meal. That’s how this happened.

I bought two heads of savoy cabbage thinking I’d use at least one for Thanksgiving, but it turns out it was one of the 3 ingredients in my kitchen I didn’t put into our big feast. There it sat, scared and alone, worried it’s fate might be sealed…in the garbage can. I had other plans, of course, it just took me a few days to find the time (and the fridge space!!) to get there.

I heaved the giant cabbage out of the crisper, cut it into wedges and went on a hunt for something to top it with. The windowsill was still concealed by all the bits and pieces that went into our holiday stuffings, so I decided to grab a few of those and make a quick topping of gala apples, pine nuts and dried cranberries. The perfect marriage of colour, texture and flavour. Especially when strewn about a plate of rich caramelized, and slightly crispy roasted cabbage and a deep roasted garlic vinaigrette. It turned out to be intensely satisfying, leaving me dragging my finger across the plate in hopes of tasting it for just a little bit longer. The flavours are bang-on, the ease makes it’s suitable for weeknight side dishes (friends, Amica and Scott served it alongside some lamb chops and said it was the perfect match) or even a light lunch.

Roasted Savoy Cabbage with Apples, Pine Nuts and Cranberries
serves 4

Feel free to substitute pecans or walnuts for the pine nuts, dried cherries or golden raisins for the cranberries. You must, however, add the apples!

1 head savoy cabbage, cut into 1.5”-2” wedges
olive oil
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup gala or honey crisp apples, diced small
roasted garlic vinaigrette, recipe follows
1 tbsp parsley, minced, to garnish

Preheat oven to 350.
Place cabbage wedges on a large baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and give a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Roast until fork tender and edges are golden and crisp, about 20-30 minutes.

While cabbage roasts, place the pine nuts, cranberries and apples in a small bowl and toss with lemon juice and olive oil.

Place 2 wedges of cabbage on a plate and top with a spoonful or two of the topping. Drizzle with vinaigrette, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette
adapted from Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body

1 head of garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp maple syrup

Preheat oven to 375. Cut the top off the head of garlic, exposing some of the cloves. Drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Wrap tightly in tin foil and place in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until cloves are soft and golden brown. Let cool completely before removing cloves.