Buttermilk-Dressed Cabbage with Fried Capers & Black Garlic

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Serves 2 | Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 15 mins

This is one of my favourite ways to eat cabbage. The fried capers are salty, crispy and satisfying, and the savoury black garlic brown butter works wonderfully well with the refreshing tang from the buttermilk dressing, lifted by the lemon.

I have experimented with different types of cabbage and found that napa, hispi and savoy work the best. Use one head for this recipe. Serve is as the main component of a dish for two people along with something else, or as a side for four. Black garlic can be sourced in most supermarkets or specialty shops.

• Equipment

  • Mixing bowl

  • Knife

  • Zester

  • Canola oil

  • Frying pan

  • Spoon

• Ingredients

  • 50ml buttermilk

  • 1 tbsp. greek yoghurt

  • 2 tbsp. mayonaise

  • 1 tsp. honey

  • 2 tsp. white pepper

  • 1 small shallot

  • 1 head of savoy cabbage

  • 100g butter

  • 4 tbsp. capers

  • 2 large black garlic cloves

  • 1 lemon

  • 30g hazelnut, chopped

  • Fresh chives, chopped fine

  • gochugaru

• Method

  1. Prepare the dressing by mixing buttermilk, yoghurt, mayonnaise, honey and white pepper together. Finely chop the shallot and add. Zest all of the lemon and set gratings aside for later, but use ¼ of the juice in the dressing. Mix until pourable.

  2. Remove loose outer leaves from the cabbage and cut straight down centre and then again to make four segments. Heat some oil in a large pan and place them face-down to caramelise and char on a medium heat. Flip them over and do the same on the other face side. When both are coloured, turn them onto their backs and add half of the butter and begin basting.

  3. After a few minutes add the remaining butter along with 2 tsp. capers and baste again. Allow capers to go crispy. Move the cabbage around and cook the layers through while basting. A bit of bite is ok. Test by pricking with a skewer or needle or knife. When it is almost ready chop the black garlic and add before turning the heat off.

  4. To serve, plate the cabbage segments and spoon the capers and black garlic over the top. Squeeze more lemon and drizzle the dressing. Add pinches of gochugaru, lemon zest, chopped hazelnuts, chives and the remainder of the capers.

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