GRILLED CABBAGE WEDGES WITH CRISPY PANCETTA AND LEMON
We love to serve this dish as a side to a whole roasted chicken.
Ingredients
For the lemon dressing:
60ml lemon juice
60ml olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
15 grams Italian parsley, leaves picked, roughly chopped
5 grams chives, finely chopped
1⁄2 teaspoon Farro cayenne pepper
1⁄2 teaspoon Essente caster sugar
For the cabbage:
100 grams pancetta, diced
1 head of cabbage (or half head of green and half head of red)
Olive oil for brushing cabbage
100 grams whole almonds, roughly chopped
150 grams Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
Method
In a small mixing bowl add the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, parsley, chives, cayenne and sugar, season to taste and whisk to combine, set aside.
Remove the tougher outer leaves from the cabbage and cut into 8 evenly sized wedges, don’t remove the stalk or inner core.
Heat a medium-sized frying pan on a medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and fry for 4-5 mins or until crispy.
Remove from heat and drain pancetta on kitchen paper and set aside.
Lightly brush the cabbage wedges with olive oil.
Heat a large dry frying pan or grill pan on a medium-high heat until very hot. Place the wedges cut side down in the pan and cook for 5-7 mins or until the edges of each layer are blackened and the cabbage is beginning to soften.
Turn each wedge over on to the other cut side and cook for an additional 5-7 mins.
Remove the cabbage when it is beginning to wilt, but is still firm in the middle. Do not be afraid of the blackened edges; you want a lot of grill/char marks on the cabbage as this means flavour.
To serve, place onto dishes the cabbage wedges sprinkled with crispy pancetta and the dressing drizzled over the top, followed by the chopped almonds and grated Parmigiano.