Charred Cabbage and Tomatoes
What does one do when you have a couple heads of cabbage and you're feeling inspired by Chef Francis Mallmann's open-fire charring techniques? I'm not opting for an open fire, but I've decided to crank up the oven and get my char on. This is our Uncle Gary's creative dish that he describes as a modified ribollita because it's scoopable rather than soupy. It's a creamy bean and cabbage dish that gets flavor hits from the charred bits of vegetables, and from the garlicy crust.
As I always encourage in my No-Recipe cooking, make any necessary adjustments to prepare the quantity that you need. Trust your instinct when seasoning the dish to your taste. If you have a creative twists to this dish, please share in the comment section.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange 2 heads of cabbage, cherry tomatoes, thick sliced onions, whole cloves of garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until the vegetables are charred and a knife is easily inserted into the middle of the cabbage, about 1 1/2 hours
Let the cabbage cool until you are able to cut it into bite size pieces. Cream the garlic by mashing it into a paste, and leave the tomatoes whole.
In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, tomatoes, onions and creamed garlic until combined. In a blender puree a can of drained cannellini beans, and pour into the cabbage mixture. Stir the pureed beans and cabbage mixture until well combined. Pour the mixture into a baking dish.
To make the Garlic Parmesan crust, crush enough bread croutons to cover the top of the cabbage mixture. Before spreading on top of the dish, toss the crushed croutons with a generous amount of fresh minced garlic and grated Parmesan cheese. Spread on top of the cabbage and bake at 350 degrees until the cabbage is warm and the crust is browned and fragrant.
