A darling of restaurant menus because of its impressive looks, delicious delicate flavour and extremely favourable cost margins. A bit of care in cooking can genuinely elevate this humble cabbage into something quite spectacular. Like many a brassica it loves a good element of caramelisation, but is also wonderful raw or simply steamed and buttered. The hispi / sweetheart / pointed cabbage is in season from spring through to early autumn. Here are some excellent ways to make the most of it.
These little individual tarts are really simple to make but work so well. I’d serve this as a light meal /starter or skip the salad garnish and it makes a great veggie centrepiece to a roast dinner.
Recipe
Makes 4 portions
2 hispi/sweetheart cabbages
2 cloves garlic, crushed/grated
3 sprigs rosemary, picked and finely chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp grated Parmesan
1 tsp runny honey
A little lemon zest
320g sheet ready-rolled puff pastry
Salt & pepper
To garnish:
A really good handful washed seasonal salad leaves (I’ve used pea shoots)
2 or 3 finely sliced radishes
A few sliced shallot
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Salt & pepper
Grated Parmesan
Preheat the oven to 175c / 350F fan
Cut the cabbage into “steak” pieces (see images)- these should be around 2cm thick, taken from the widest part of the cabbage. You can comfortably get 2 portions per cabbage. If any of the pieces has a thick stem score an X into the centre of it. Save the trimmings for another recipe
In a large bowl mix together the garlic, olive oil, Parmesan, lemon zest, honey, rosemary, salt & pepper. Carefully mix the cabbage pieces in the marinade, then place on a metal parchment-lined or non-stick tray. Bake for 15 minutes then remove from the oven
Cut the pastry into 4 rounds, a little larger than the width of the cabbage. Place on top of each piece of cabbage, prick all over with a fork or knife and return to the oven until the pastry is evenly golden, around 16-22 mins
Turn over the tarts, top with the dressed salad leaves and extra Parmesan, if you like
Such a favourite combination of flavours - this is always a sure-fire hit.
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