Most cabbage varieties are suitable for brief boiling or 'blanching'. Blanching preserves the colour of the leaves while achieving a tender crunch.
1
Peel the leaves from the cabbage. Leave whole or thinly shred if preferred
2
Heat a pan of salted water and bring to the boil
3
Add the cabbage leaves in batches and cook for 2–3 minutes until the leaves have softened slightly, but are still vibrant in colour
4
Remove the cabbage and refresh in iced water to stop the cooking process
5
Drain in a colander
Variations
Blanched cabbage leaves are useful for rolling and encasing foods – like Graham Campbell’s Vegetarian haggis – as the partial cooking of the leaves helps to make them more flexible.
Uses
Blanched, shredded cabbage is often tossed with butter, thyme or quickly pan-fried with some crispy pancetta. It is often served alongside braised and roasted meats such as oxtail, partridge or pork belly.
Subscribe to the
Great British Chefs Newsletter
Join an ever-growing community of food lovers now by subscribing to our newsletter and get all the latest recipes, features and much more to your inbox
Terms and conditions
Get in touch
Please sign in or register to send a comment to Great British Chefs.
You may also like
Load more
