Brown Butter Miso Cabbage

Charred cabbage has been on every restaurant menu for years now, and for good reason. Done properly, the humble cabbage becomes something you’d happily order as a main. The trick is a hard char on the cut face for bitterness and smoke, then a glaze of brown butter and miso to bring the richness and umami.

Ingredients

• 2 hispi (sweetheart) cabbages
• 100g salted butter
• 2 tbsp white miso paste
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• Olive oil
• Salt
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (optional, to finish)

Method

1. Cut each cabbage in half lengthways, keeping the core intact so the halves hold together
2. Rub the cut faces with a little olive oil and season with salt
3. Melt the butter in a small pan over a medium heat and cook until the milk solids turn golden brown and it smells nutty, then remove from the heat
4. Whisk the miso, vinegar and honey into the brown butter until smooth
5. Get a heavy pan (or barbecue) smoking hot and place the cabbage halves cut side down
6. Leave them alone for 4 to 5 minutes until the cut face is deeply charred (darker than feels comfortable)
7. Transfer the cabbage to an oven dish, charred side up, and brush generously with the miso brown butter
8. Roast at 180°C for 15 to 20 minutes, basting with more of the butter halfway through, until a knife slides through the core with no resistance
9. Serve with the remaining butter spooned over and a scattering of sesame seeds

Notes

Don’t be shy with the char. The bitterness from the properly blackened face is what balances the sweetness of the miso and honey, and an anaemic cabbage is a sad cabbage.

If you’re cooking over fire, even better. Char the halves directly over the coals and finish them in a covered barbecue or the oven.

Inspiration

A mash-up of every charred brassica dish I’ve eaten in restaurants over the last few years. Places like Ox Club in Leeds have shown how far you can take vegetables with live fire and a good glaze.