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Caramelized Cabbage with Spiced Tomato Gravy

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Hungarian
Keyword: cabbage, coriander, cumin, double concentrate tomato paste, green cabbage, savoy cabbage
Servings: 8 wedges
Author: GFchow @ gfchow.com

Equipment

  • Oven-proof skillet

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup double-concentrated tomato paste
  • 3 garlic cloves pressed, grated or zested
  • teaspoon ground coriander
  • teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red hot pepper flakes
  • 1 medium head of green or savoy cabbage about 2 lb. total
  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil divided
  • Kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons chopped dill, parsley, or cilantro
  • full-fat Greek yogurt, sour cream, or creme fraîche for serving
  • 1 1/2-2 cups cold water or broth, any flavor

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Mix tomato paste, garlic, coriander, cumin, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.
  • Cut cabbage in half through core. Cut each half through core into 4 wedges for a total of 8 wedges.
  • Heat ¼ cup oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Working in batches if needed, add cabbage to pan cut side down and season with salt. Cook, turning occasionally, until lightly charred, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer cabbage to a plate. Cook next batch, if need be.
  • Lower heat to medium-low and pour remaining ¼ cup oil into skillet. Add spiced tomato paste and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until tomato paste begins to split and slightly darken, 2 minutes. Then pour in about 1½-2 cups water or broth, season with salt, and bring to a simmer.
  • Nestle cabbage wedges back into skillet (they should have shrunk while browning; a bit of overlap is okay). Transfer cabbage to oven and bake, uncovered. Using tongs turn wedges halfway through, until very tender and liquid is mostly evaporated, and cabbage is caramelized around the edges, 40–50 minutes.
  • Scatter fresh herbs over cabbage. Serve with yogurt. sour cream, or creme fraîche alongside.

Notes

This can very easily be made into a whole meal.  Serve with white rice and ground meat and you have a deconstructed version of stuffed cabbage!
For a saucier dish, double the gravy.
Serving over mashed potatoes would be delicious.