Recipe

Roasted Mini Cabbage Wedges, Parsnips and Carrots tossed in Herbs and Goat Cheese

A cabbage in the garden with a knife beside it
Serves
4
Time
10 minutes prep, 40 to 60 minutes cook

Ingredients

  • 2 mini cabbages, cut into quarters
  • 4 parsnips, quartered lengthwise
  • 1 lb carrots
  • Olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper
  • For the herb mix: dill, fennel, diced turmeric, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice (a small handful each of dill and fennel, 1 tbsp turmeric, 2 cloves garlic)
  • Goat cheese, to finish
  • Optional: bacon or prosciutto

Method

  1. Cabbage first. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the mini cabbage into quarters, brush with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and place cut-side down. Give it 20 to 30 minutes a side, and cook until the outer leaves are crispy.
  2. Roots in at the flip. When you flip the cabbage wedges, put the quartered parsnip wedges and the carrots in with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, until fork tender and golden brown.
  3. Herb mix, raw. Chop the dill, fennel and diced turmeric and put them in a bowl with the garlic, olive oil and lemon juice.
  4. Toss and finish. Toss the roasted vegetables in the herb mix until evenly coated. Goat cheese on top.

Chris: "Bacon or Prosciutto also go very well with these veggies!"

Want your kitchen to receive a Michelin star? (optional steps to take it to the next level)

  1. The Pre-Roast: Brown Butter Basting & Pan Searing. Instead of just tossing the cabbage in olive oil and baking it, give the cut sides a hard sear in a heavy skillet (like cast iron) using brown butter (beurre noisette) before transferring to the oven. (3 tbsp butter, browned over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes; sear 2 to 3 minutes per cut side)
  2. Elevate the Goat Cheese: Whip It with Acid & Honey. Instead of crumbling raw goat cheese over the top, whip the goat cheese in a food processor or bowl with a splash of heavy cream (or Greek yogurt), lemon zest, and a touch of local wildflower honey until smooth. Smear this as a base landing pad on the plate. (4 oz goat cheese, 2 to 3 tbsp cream or yogurt, zest of half a lemon, 1 tsp honey)
  3. Upgrade the Herb Mix: Infused Emulsion or "Salsa Verde". Micro-plane the raw garlic and fresh turmeric into a mortar and pestle (or small food processor) with the dill, fennel fronds, high-quality extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of flake salt. Turn the loose raw herb mix into a vibrant, emulsified herb oil/gremolata. (1 clove garlic, 1 tsp turmeric, 1/4 cup each dill and fennel fronds, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice)
  4. Crispy Prosciutto "Shatter". Bake prosciutto slices between two parchment-lined sheet trays until completely flat and crisp, then break them into shards (or render diced pancetta until glass-like) to sprinkle over the dish at the end. (4 thin slices, about 2 oz, 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes)
  5. Finishing Salt and Garnish. Finish the plated dish with Maldon sea salt flakes and toasted, crushed pistachios or pepitas. (2 tbsp nuts or seeds)

Plating, for the ambitious home chef

  1. Base: Swipe a smooth ribbon of Whipped Lemon-Honey Goat Cheese across the center of a wide bowl or plate.
  2. Anchor: Arrange the Brown-Butter Seared Cabbage Wedges and roasted Parsnips & Carrots over the cheese base.
  3. Dress: Spoon the bright green Raw Herb Emulsion generously over the warm vegetables, allowing it to melt down into the cheese base.
  4. Garnish: Top with Prosciutto Shards, Toasted Pistachios, and a pinch of Flaky Sea Salt.
A cabbage growing in a garden bed
Culinary Notes - (If you're like me, you like to learn "the why" behind things)

Maillard Reaction: Oven roasting alone can cause the cabbage to wilt before achieving a deep, even caramelization on the cut surfaces. A direct-contact sear locks in a deep mahogany crust immediately.

Nutty Depth: Brown butter adds toasted, nutty aromas (milk solids caramelizing) that pair naturally with the sweet, earthy profile of roasted parsnips and cabbage.

Plating & Mouthfeel: Crumbled goat cheese can taste chalky and dry alongside roasted vegetables. A whipped cheese base provides a luscious, cooling element that coats the mouth, balancing the hot, crispy vegetables.

Visual Polish: A clean spoon-swipe or swoosh of white cream across a dark plate gives an instant high-end restaurant presentation.

Flavor Integration: Chopped raw herbs can feel like a garnish sitting on top of food. Blending/pounding them with oil and acid creates an emulsion that clings tightly to every crevice of the cabbage leaves.

Garlic Processing: Grating or micro-planing the raw garlic melts it smoothly into the fat, eliminating harsh raw garlic chunks.

Textural Contrast: High-end dishes rely heavily on textural interplay. Soft, tender root centers + charred crispy cabbage leaves + a paper-thin, salty, shattering prosciutto crunch creates a complete sensory experience.

Umami Boost: The concentrated salinity of cured pork offsets the heavy natural sugars of roasted carrots and parsnips.

Maldon Salt: Provides burst-salinity that doesn't dissolve into the vegetables, hitting the tongue as a clean crunch.

Nuts/Seeds: Adds an extra tier of earthy crunch that ties the brown butter and root vegetables together.

Back to recipes