A smooth head of cabbage is much more useful, I think, than a bag of leaves as a quick salad option. With just a bit of shredding, salt and a few scrunches, a quarter of a cabbage becomes a voluminous and bright slaw. It is only slightly more work to pull out the box grater to add a coarsely grated carrot, apple or small amount of fresh horseradish to the shredded heap. Alternatively (and this is a suggestion from the wonderful Margaret Costa), chopped dried apricots, walnut halves and orange segments are extremely nice in a cabbage salad, maybe dressed with olive oil, red-wine vinegar, honey and lemon zest.
The Macedonian-British writer Irina Janakievska, meanwhile, has introduced me to the pleasure of grated beetroot with a mass of salted cabbage. What’s more (and quite unlike the last of the leaves meeting their rapid and slimy end in a bag), the remaining three-quarters of the cabbage do just that: they remain healthy for days, weeks even. So much so that I am beginning to think of smooth cabbages, both red and white, as the Highlanders of vegetables.
Not only is it the season for red cabbages, they also feel innately seasonal, bringing colour to darker days and a festive feel to plates. I would be lying if I said I always have a bald red head staring up at me from the fridge drawer, but I am happiest when I do, especially in the run-up to Christmas. Both for quick salads and for almost-as-quick buttered cabbage: shred half a cabbage, throw it in a wide pan with three tablespoons of boiling water and salt, toss for a minute, then cover for about three, before adding a thick slice of butter and some pepper, and serving very hot.
At the other end of the cabbage cooking scale is slowly stewed cabbage with apple and chestnuts, a dish and combination that I adore at this time of year. So much so that I have turned it (although I am surely not the first) into – and forgive my boasting – a fabulous pie with ricotta pastry, which makes it even richer and more festive. While it might sound excessive, Costa’s apricot, walnut, orange and cabbage salad is extremely good alongside. Alternatively, a big green salad – just don’t leave any in the bag.
Red cabbage, apple and chestnut pie with ricotta pastry
Prep 15 min
Chill 45 min
Cook 1 hr 30 min
Serves 6-8
130g butter, plus extra for greasing
300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
200g ricotta
Salt
3 tbsp olive oil
80g diced pancetta or bacon (optional)
1 onion, peeled, halved and sliced into slender arcs
1 small red cabbage, quartered, core removed, then shredded
1 large green apple (such as a granny smith), peeled, quartered and sliced into arcs
10 sage leaves, minced
200g cooked chestnuts, broken into small pieces
100g goat’s cheese (optional)
Beaten egg or milk, for brushing
Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5. Make the pastry by rubbing 100g cold, diced butter into the flour until it resembles crumbs. Add the ricotta and some salt, then bring everything into a soft ball. Cover and chill for 45 minutes.
In a frying pan on a medium heat, melt the remaining butter and the oil until foaming, then add the pancetta, if using, onion, cabbage, apple and a good pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until everything has collapsed and is just starting to soften – remember, it will cook more in the oven. Taste, then add the sage, chestnuts, goat’s cheese, if using, some salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
Butter and flour a 26cm round tin and put a flat baking tray in the oven to heat up – this is important, so the pie bakes properly. Cut the dough into two uneven pieces, one twice the size of the other. On a floured work surface, roll out the larger piece into a circle big enough to line the tin, come all the way up the sides and leave some overhang. Lift the dough into the tin, mending any rips with your fingers, then add the cabbage filling.
Roll the smaller piece of dough into a disc the size of the tin, and place on top of the filling. Using wet fingertips, press all around the edges to make a firm seal. Prick or slash the centre of the tart, paint with beaten egg or milk, place on the hot baking tray and slide into the oven for 45 minutes, until golden. Leave to cool a little before turning out and serving warm or at room temperature.
