I never understood that saying as a kid. Like who wouldn’t be happy to have an adorable red-head in the family? Honestly I still don’t really get it. Is it because they’re different? Well that’s just rude and untrue. Or is it because they burn easily at the beach and will inevitably use all the sunscreen? Well that just seems silly. So really I can think of no earthly reason that would make me feel anything less than delight at the thought of having a red-headed step-child around.
I feel similarly about red cabbage, or purple if you’d rather. It often gets a bad rap as something stodgy, unappealing, and just kind of boring. But it’s SOOOOOO not (she whines like a child)! Yes, you can stew it down for hours and serve it alongside wurst and wieners (ha, wieners) – and it’s great that way. But it can do so much more! Bake it into a cheesy gratin – winner. Shred it into a tangy slaw – tangy winner. Or split the difference and char it in a hot oven with some broccoli and dress it with a spicy, Asian vinaigrette – a perfect side dish served hot or room temp. So give earthy, crunchy, savory cabbage a try because red-heads are so hot right now (prime example: Prince Harry).
Charred Cabbage and Broccoli with Sesame Vinaigrette
- June 1, 2018
- 4
- 40 min
- Print this
Ingredients
- 1 small head purple cabbage
- 1 bunch broccoli
- 4 T vegetable oil
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp red chili flake
- 2 garlic cloves, grated or minced fine
- 1 T ginger, grated or minced fine
- 3 T soy sauce
- 2 T unseasoned rice wine vinegar
- 1 T toasted sesame oil
- 2 T brown sugar
- 3 T water
- 1 tsp sambal or sriracha
- ½ C peanuts
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- ½ C fresh herbs, chopped (basil, mint, parsley, or chives are all great options)
Directions
- Step 1
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Step 2
- Remove dry, outer leaves of cabbage and cut in half, lengthwise, keeping the core intact.
- Step 3
- Slice each half into ½ inch wedges, each with its own piece of core attached to hold it together.
- Step 4
- Trim the woody part of the stem from the broccoli and cut into ½ inch spears.
- Step 5
- Place broccoli and cabbage each on their own rimmed baking sheet, in one single layer.
- Step 6
- Divide the oil, kosher salt, and red chili flake between the two sheet pans, and use your hands to evenly distribute on the vegetables.
- Step 7
- Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, undisturbed.
- Step 8
- While the vegetables cook, combine the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar, water, and sambal in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Step 9
- After 30 minutes, remove broccoli from the oven and set aside. Set your oven to broil and place the cabbage about 6 inches from the broiler. Broil for 3-5 minutes, or until cabbage begins to char in places.
- Step 10
- Optional: I like to throw the peanuts on the sheet pan with the cabbage half-way through the broiling time so they toast up, but you should be careful because you don’t want them to burn – so if you’d rather you can just garnish with them at the end.
- Step 11
- Remove cabbage from oven and arrange on a platter with the broccoli. Spoon over a generous amount of dressing and garnish with the sesame seeds, herbs, and peanuts.
