SEARED CABBAGE OVER SORREL PESTO
This recipe from La Cocina Que Canta’s Chef Vivian Mercado is cooking the way it should feel, a handful of this, a dash of that, a hot skillet, and a little trust in the process. Cabbage gently resting on a bed of pesto.
6-8 Servings
Ingredients:
For the cabbage
1 purple cabbage
¼ cup olive oil or butter
Salt and black pepper
For the sorrel pesto
1 cup fresh sorrel leaves
Handful of cilantro
Handful of fresh mint
¼ cup nuts (pine nuts, almonds, or walnuts)
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 – 4 garlic cloves
½ cup olive oil (adjust as needed)
Salt, to taste
Method:
1. Prep the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into thick wedges (keep the core intact so they hold together).
2. Sear the cabbage. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add oil or butter. Place cabbage wedges cut-side down and press lightly.
Sear without moving for 2-4 minutes until deeply golden, almost charred.
Flip and repeat on the other side. Cover with a lid to help the cabbage to get soft.
Season with salt and pepper. You want contrast, crispy outside, tender inside.
3. Make the sorrel pesto: In a blender or food processor, combine sorrel, cilantro, mint, nuts, Parmesan, and garlic. Pulse while slowly adding olive oil until smooth but still slightly textured. Add salt to taste. Sorrel is naturally tangy (almost lemony), so go easy on extra acid at first.
4. To serve, spread the sorrel pesto generously on a platter or individual plates and place the seared cabbage wedges on top. Serve immediately.
Add salt to taste.
