In my family and Homeland we have a lot of respect for vegetables. They get more attention than meat. You’ll never hear my mother rave about a steak or sausages. But she’ll always describe to you the perfect green beans that she bought from Beber, her green grocer or the plumped and sweet cherries in Galleries Lafayette. Every meal in my home includes five or more raw or cooked vegetables, Including breakfast.
In Israel, every ordinary cafe or restaurant has at least three vegetable dishes on the menu. No wonder vegans think it’s a food paradise. The thing with vegetables, as opposed to meat, is that they come in many different shades and flavors, and are easier to digest. And also, you can do so much with vegetables, without too much effort. Like this recipe.
Cabbage is cheap, tasty and filling. When you steam it first then roast it, it becomes sweet. And what is the perfect match to sweetness? Pureed tomato. The tahini adds a nutty flavor but it also binds everything together.
Here are some more simple cabbage recipes:
ROASTED RED CABBAGE
CABBAGE & TURMERIC FRITTATAS
NOKEDLI (HUNGARIAN DUMPLINGS)
CABBAGE SALAD WITH PUMPKIN SEEDS
Perfect Roasted Cabbage Over Tahini & Tomato Puree
Ingredients
- 1 medium green cabbage - or red
- Olive oil
- Coarse salt
- Black pepper
- ¼ cup tahini butter
- 1 lemon (2 tablespoons
- 2 medium tomatoes
- parsley, dill or cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Slice the cabbage into 2 inch thick chunks and lay them in a wide pan. Add 2 cups of water. Sprinkle coarse salt and add 10 black peppercorns or ground pepper, about ½ teaspoon. Cover the pan and put over high heat. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low and steam for 10-15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Remove the lead and drizzle the cabbage with olive oil (be generous about 1/4 cup) and put in the oven Uncovered! Roast for 15-20 minutes or until the cabbage is golden-brown.
- Meanwhile prepare the tahini. In a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini butter, 2 tablespoons lemon juice and ¼ cup water until smooth and runny. Set aside.Puree the tomatoes with a hand blender or grate them on a cheese grater.
- Plating: pour the tahini in the center of a large plate. Pour the tomato puree in the center and place the cabbage over. Sprinkle some parsley, dill or cilantro and serve.
