February: Savoy Cabbage

A trio of savoy cabbages came into work last week, heavy and fresh, with luscious outer leaves, no leathery wrinkles attacked by pesky invaders. They were perfect in every way, instantly you knew these were not long from the earth, the first crop of the year, straight into the kitchen, straight in the pan. 

The savoy cabbage, strong and bold, handles the harsh winter frosts and emerges in February providing a splash of green nourishment.The benefits read like a health store till receipt, providing fibre, vitamins A,C,K and B6, folate, potassium, manganese, thiamine, calcium, iron and magnesium. Alex James once wrote about how you could "actually eat yourself thin" by eating only cabbage soup, recommended by a heart surgeon. 

It's my favourite cabbage to cook, it has a wonderful nutty flavour, requires very little preparation and cooking to get the most out of it. The key word being 'little'; savoy or any cabbage should not be overcooked. Cut the stalks from the thicker outer leaves and shred (across the grain of the leaves) as fine as possible. Make sure you buy them whole and use them as you need them, pre-shredded packs will have a diminished vitamin content. 

1.Garlic and nutmeg savoy side 

This is a very simple recipe and is good for accompanying meats, particularly roast dinners. Other green brassicas, and white cabbage work well here but white must be finely shredded. The secret here is to soften the cabbage gently, not to saute (to brown) at high temperature, so the results are al dente and buttery. 

1Tbsp Olive oil

25g Unsalted butter

1/4 Savoy cabbage

1 small clove garlic

Whole nutmeg

Salt & Pepper

1. After shredding and rinsing the cabbage, finely crush the garlic. Heat the oil and butter over a low heat and  add the garlic. Sweat for 2 mins. 

2. Add the cabbage, coat in the butter well by stirring or tossing, and season with salt. This will help draw out moisture and prevent browning. The rest of the cooking time will depend, keep stirring or tossing, if your pan has a lid this will speed up the process, but after around 7-8 minutes the cabbage should be done. 

3.Grate about 1/4 tsp of nutmeg into the pan and a generous punch of freshly ground black pepper. Taste, and see if it requires further seasoning or nutmeg. Taste again. 

2.Belting braised gammon steaks and savoy cabbage

A classic combination, cabbage and bacon. In this instance I have used whole gammon steaks and braised them, and finished the final cooking liquor with cream. Braising allows the meat to cook 'slow n low', basically cooking at a lower temperature, for a long time. The result is tender meat, that falls apart at the touch and melts in the mouth. This method of cookery is particularly good for cheaper cuts meat, and would work equally as good with ham hocks or a whole joint of gammon.

4 thick smoked gammon steaks, any rind/fat trimmed off. 

Mirepoix, finely chopped. 

1 onion

2 sticks of celery

1 medium carrot

500ml chicken or vegetable stock

150ml double cream

50g butter

1 small savoy cabbage (half a large), finely shredded

500g baby/new potatoes peeled & left whole

oil

Salt & Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 150 C. You will need a large heavy based casserole pan, preferably with a lid. Heat some oil in a pan over a high heat and fry each steak 1/2 at a time until browned, and put aside.   

2. Reduce the heat of the pan, melt the butter and add the Mirepoix of vegetables. Sweat them down for 10 minutes. Once the vegetables are soft and translucent, put the steaks back in the pan. I doesn't matter if they overlap a little, add the stock (making sure not to cover the steaks, you may not need all of the stock) and some salt & pepper. Place the lid or foil lid on top and place in the oven (or on very low simmer on the stove) for an hour & half. Add the potatoes for the last half hour of cooking. 

3. Remove the gammon and potatoes and keep warm. Strain the cooking liquor and place back in the pan, discard the Mirepoix. Bring the liquor to the boil and add the savoy cabbage, simmer (about 10 minutes) until the cabbage is al dente (don't boil the cabbage). Stir in the cream, return the potatoes and correct the seasoning. 

4. In large bowls, using a slotted spoon, place the cabbage & potatoes first, and then perch your gammon steaks on top. Ladle the creamy cooking liquor over the top and serve with fresh crusty bread.