Roasted cabbage steaks: a CardioKit recipe

... Mary's latest heart-healthy recipe.

Cabbage has a fabulous nutritional profile and is jam-packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre. It belongs to the Brassica genus of vegetables and is related to broccoli, cauliflower and kale. Recent studies on cabbage intake have looked carefully at the potential for cardiovascular support from this vegetable, with encouraging results.

I used a pretty spectacular-looking cabbage for this recipe, but next time I’ll choose vibrant red cabbage for the ‘wow factor’ as well as the powerful compounds it contains called anthocyanins. Many studies link this pigment with reductions in blood pressure and the risk of coronary heart disease. Cabbage has more than 36 kinds of anthocyanins, so a great choice for protecting heart health – and isn’t that what you’re visiting Cardiologist’s Kitchen for?

‘Roasting a cabbage though, is truly a revelation’ – sounds like a cliche, right? Try it though, because it turns a wholesome but slightly mundane vegetable into a one-tray accompaniment to your main course. I would normally struggle to use up a whole Savoy cabbage in one sitting, but our small family enjoyed a roasted cabbage feast when I tried this for the first time recently.

Here’s why I love the taste, and it’s nostalgia that sold it to me. When I would come home from school as a teenager, (before microwaves, can you imagine?), there would be a cooked dinner plated up and warming through in the oven, with cabbage ever so slightly crispy and singed and I’m really enjoying revisiting this here.

It may amuse/confuse you to know that if you search online for cabbage and heart disease you will find CABG – coronary artery bypass grafting, the surgical option for coronary artery disease. Healthcare professionals working in Cardiology use the word frequently and patients must find it quite unnerving to hear. Anyway, this recipe is for the kind of cabbage Cardiologist’s Kitchen is recommending for good heart-health and did I mention that it is quick and easy to add to your diet … easily affordable and is delicious!

This recipe serves 4 and as promised, here is the red cabbage version.

1 large cabbage
olive oil or rapeseed oil
a handful of nuts, approx. 40 g – hazelnuts or pine-nuts or whatever you have handy
1 large red chilli, seeded and finely diced
a small bunch of mint, leaves shredded
1 lemon, the juice and zest
1 teaspoon honey
salt and pepper to season

Heat the oven to 200 C/fan 180 C/gas 6.
Remove any bruised or damaged outer leaves from the cabbage – any cabbage will do, but red looks pretty spectacular if you’re out to impress.
Cut the cabbage into 4 x 2 cm thick steaks, leaving the stalk on so they stay intact.
Brush both sides with oil, season and put onto a baking tray.
Roast for 30 – 40 minutes until golden and a knife slides through the stalk easily.
Turn the steaks over halfway through cooking using a fish slice. If they’re browning too much before they’re tender, cover with foil and continue to cook. I love crispy cabbage personally, but you choose what you prefer.
Toast the hazelnuts/pine-nuts in a dry frying pan until golden and toasted. Tip out and leave to cool, then roughly chop. Try adding a selection of different nuts if you prefer.
Tip into a bowl with the diced chilli, shredded mint, lemon zest and juice, honey and 3 tbsp olive oil. Season and drizzle over the steaks. I favoured lemon juice over honey but here’s where you experiment to suit your taste.
Serve and enjoy as one of the vegetable portions comprising your meal – it’s worth mentioning now that these cabbage steaks will take up most of the room on your plate!

Roasted cabbage steaks: a CardioKit recipe

... Mary's latest heart-healthy recipe.

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