Name: Grilled red cabbage with gorgonzola and grapes
Ingredients: 1 small red cabbage (1.1kg), cut lengthways into 6 wedges held together by the stem); 300g red grapes; 50g soft dark brown sugar; 300ml vegetable stock; 1 tbsp red-wine vinegar; 2 tsp juniper berries, crushed in a mortar; 40g unsalted butter, melted; salt and black pepper; 60g gorgonzola, torn into 1-2cm pieces; 2 tsp thyme leaves; 200g soured cream

Grilled red cabbage with gorgonzola and grapes

Vegetarian Winter

Serves 6

Prep 15-20 min

Cook 3 hr 30 min

This was a wintry addition to the menu at our restaurant, ROVI. We bake the cabbage for hours, then grill it with cheese until everything is intensely soft and seductively unctuous. Get ahead by braising the cabbage the day ahead, before finishing it under the grill.

Ingredients

1	small red cabbage (1.1kg), cut lengthways into 6 wedges held together by the stem)
300g	red grapes
50g	soft dark brown sugar
300ml	vegetable stock
1 tbsp	red-wine vinegar
2 tsp	juniper berries, crushed in a mortar
40g	unsalted butter, melted
	salt and black pepper
60g	gorgonzola, torn into 1-2cm pieces
2 tsp	thyme leaves
200g	soured cream

Method

Heat the oven to 170C/335F/gas 3.
Arrange the cabbage wedges and 200g grapes snugly in a high-sided, 20cm x 30cm baking dish.
In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, stock, vinegar, juniper, butter, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and a generous grind of pepper. Pour this over the cabbage wedges, so they’re well coated, then cover securely with tin foil. Bake for two and a half to three hours (depending on the size of the cabbage), basting a few times, until the cabbage is completely soft. Remove from the oven, put the wedges and cooked grapes on a plate and strain the liquid into a small saucepan – you should have 150-200ml. Reduce on a high heat for four to six minutes, stirring frequently, until you have about 50ml of thickened liquid left.
Turn the grill to its highest setting and put an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Arrange the wedges and cooked grapes on a baking tray with the remaining 100g grapes and dot the gorgonzola between the cabbage wedges. Grill for six to seven minutes, until the cabbage is starting to crisp up, the grapes are scorched and the cheese has melted. If the cabbage starts to burn, turn down the grill.
To serve, drizzle two teaspoons of the thickened syrup over each cabbage wedge, sprinkle over the thyme and spoon over the soured cream or serve on the side.