I whipped up this recipe for a quick lunch today, having bought a purple cabbage that was languishing in my fridge that I finally roasted up for meal prep.  I felt like the roasted cabbage needed a fun little sauce, and I was so pleased with the result that I couldn’t wait to share. 

The sauce is based on my favorite flavor combinations featured in Smacked Cucumber Salad (the addiction continues, by the way), with a slight twist with the use of olive oil and basil.  The sauce worked super well with the roasted flavors of the cabbage, and helped lift the cabbage to a very tasty place.  I loved the flavors of the basil and olive oil in with the chili crisp and black vinegar – sweet, savory, a little spicy, a little salty – all good things together.  Any fresh herb would do here (Thai basil would be amazing, and I think mint or cilantro would be quite nice here).  If you want a more pungent sauce, feel free to swap the olive oil for sesame oil.  I liked things a little more mellow here, but do what makes you happy!  Finally, rice wine vinegar is a great substitution for black vinegar – but if you can find it, I would strongly recommend it!

If you want to make this more of a robust meal, I think this would pair nicely with rice or soba noodles (try my Miso Buttered noodles!).  For protein pairings, a simple pan-fried white fish, chicken, pork, or tofu will do nicely.  If cabbage isn’t your scene, this sauce would work on a variety of veggies, roasted or not.  Cauliflower, broccoli, kale, peas, or carrots all come to mind as good substitutions.  I would even venture to use this as a salad dressing – it’s a great little sauce that I hope you try!

Recipe down below, photo up top!  This makes enough for 4 side portions or 1-2 lunch portions (depending on the size of your cabbage and how hungry you are).  Both the roasted cabbage and the sauce should keep in the fridge for a couple of days (I would store in separate containers), so this is a good recommendation for meal prep.  Scale up as needed, and enjoy!

Recipe: Roasted Cabbage with Spicy Basil Dressing

Ingredients:

• For the Cabbage:
  • 1 cabbage, cut into wedges
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp salt
• For the Dressing:
  • 1 tbsp chili crisp
  • 1 tbsp black vinegar
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 4-6 leaves of basil, finely chopped
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • ¼ tsp salt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. Remove any outer leaves of the cabbage, especially if any of them are looking rough (beat up, wilting, yellowing, etc).  Cut the bottom core off of the cabbage to create a flat surface, then place the cabbage on the flat surface you just created.  Cut the cabbage in half (lengthwise), then in half again (lengthwise) to create quarters.  Take each quarter and cut in half again (lengthwise) to create eighths.
3. Place cabbage wedges on a baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil.  Place in the oven at 375F and roast until the wedges are tender and the edges are beginning to brown, about 1 hour.
4. Once the cabbage is cooked through, removed it from the oven and allow to cool slightly on the sheet pan before serving (about 5 minutes).  When still warm but cool enough to touch, transfer to a plate for serving.
5. Immediately before serving, make the dressing.  Add the chili crisp, black vinegar, olive oil, salt, and sugar to a small bowl, and whisk to combine.  Remove the basil leaves from their stems, stack them together, and roll into a small log.  Make thin slices (crossways) across the log to produce thin slices of basil.  Add the basil to the dressing, whisk to combine.
6. Pour the dressing all over the cabbage, making sure the basil pieces and chilis get distributed evenly over the cabbage. 
7. Serve immediately while warm and enjoy!