Cabbage’s reputation as a crisp anchor for the coleslaws of the world is well deserved, but it’s not a one-trick pony. Like so many other foods, cabbage benefits from slow, patient heat —the only sort of heat that leads to deep golden caramelization.
In a slow cooker, apples readily absorb aromatic herb and spice flavours while softening into bright, luscious jam. Make the jam a day or two before you need it.
Preparation
Rosemary juniper apple jam (Makes extra)
1 cup (250 mL) tightly packed brown sugar
2 cups (500 mL) red wine
1 tablespoon (15 mL) apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
¼ cup (60 mL) juniper berries
2 bay leavesLeaves from
8 sprigs fresh rosemary
5 pounds (2.25 kg) apples (Honeycrisp, McIntosh, Cortland, Jonagold, or Granny Smith), unpeeled, cored and quartered
Cabbage steaks
1 green cabbage
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
A few splashes of safflower oil, grapeseed oil, clarified butter, or other reserved animal fat
Make the rosemary juniper apple jam
In a slow cooker, stir together the brown sugar, red wine, and apple cider vinegar.
Place the juniper berries and bay leaves in a small square of cheese-cloth. Gather together the corners, forming a small sack, and tie closed with kitchen string. Nestle the bag into the wine mixture with the rosemary, then cover with the apples. Cook at the highest setting for 8 hours. The apples will soften and collapse, thickening the mixture and deepening its flavour. (Alternatively, place all the ingredients in a tightly covered cas- serole dish and bake in the oven at 250 F for 6 hours.)
Fish out the bag of spices and discard. Leave the rosemary leaves in the mixture. Purée until smooth with an immersion blender or in a food processor. Transfer to a storage jar, cover tightly, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Make the cabbage steaks
Carefully cut the cabbage through the stem, first in half, then into quarters. Evenly season the cut faces of the cabbage with salt and pepper.
Heat a large cast-iron skillet, plancha, griddle, or non-stick skillet over medium-high heat to precisely 350 F. For best results, use a surface thermometer. Add the safflower oil to the pan. Position the cabbage wedges in the pan so a cut side is in full contact with the cooking surface. If you’re using a skillet, tightly cover it. Cook, turning occasionally, as the cabbage gently sizzles and lightly caramelizes. Eventually the steamy moisture will work its way into the middle and tenderize it, 30 minutes or so. Serve the cabbage wedges with a dollop of the rosemary juniper apple jam.
Excerpted from Farm, Fire & Feast: Recipes from the Inn at Bay Fortune by Michael Smith Copyright © 2021 Michael Smith. Photography by Al Douglas. Published by Penguin Canada®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
