This vegan cabbage dish is ideal for a comfy guide membership

Photo: AA Newton

Hello everyone and welcome back to Prix Fixed, Lifehacker’s column of menu planning advice.

Today’s e-mail comes to us from far down in the south, like in the southern hemisphere:

I recently joined a new book club and am hosting for the first time. Because of the Venn diagram of everyone’s dietary restrictions, everything must be vegetarian, dairy-free, and gluten-free, although eggs are fine. Meeting these restrictions only for a casual midweek dinner isn’t a problem, but I’d like to think that I’m a pretty good home cook and that my heart was set on showing off a little. I find it difficult to find a main course. Normally I would rely on a fancy seafood roast or pasta as the exciting centerpiece, but obviously those won’t work here. Risotto is a no-go because I have to be awake and take care of my guests and cannot babysit the risotto. Some things I can do or at least prepare the day before or earlier in the day would be great. I would like a main course, a salad and another side dish I think? I’m also in the southern hemisphere and it’s getting winter here, so ideally nothing that relies too much on summer products. I hope you can help me!

Many Thanks,

(Name withheld so I can do all the honors when everyone compliments my menu planning)

First of all, I would like to apologize for responding so late to this particular request. The emailer had told me they were hosting the first week of July which we are stuck in, so I sincerely hope I won’t be late with that. (If so, put it aside for the next time you host and please send me an angry email chastising me for being late.)

Well, let’s get down to business. Although I am an omnivore with a preference for roasting, smoking and a lot of pork, I also like to cook for vegans. It’s easy to hide sub-par skills behind bacon, cheese, and butter, but truly seasoned chefs know how to make vegetables and other pet-free foods sing. For me, however, it is very fortunate that this meal takes place in the southern hemisphere, because it is cold there and cold weather calls for smothered cabbage.

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Choked cabbage is a recipe from AA Newtonwho recently became vegan, but always loved vegetables. This recipe is cheap, easy, and mostly convenient, which means it won’t distract you from hosting and entertaining. You might be tempted to go extravagant with the cabbage – but don’t! This recipe is best when made with the common green boy.

We do too a delicious dip from a humble tin of artichokes, as well live radicchio salad (for color and crunch). Yes, there are a lot of leaves, but bitter, crispy radicchio is very different from sweet, melted cabbage.

Shopping

But before you can cook, you need to do some shopping.

The list:

• About a 2 pound humble head of kale
• 1 head of radicchio
• 1 medium onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 lemon
• 1 15-ounce can of artichoke hearts or brine bottoms (the bottoms are less stringy so grab these when you find them)
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Maple syrup
• Dijon mustard
• 2 types of gluten-free crackers (use something thin and crips and something thick and shady)
• Fresh thyme
• Fresh sage
• 1 pack of pecan pieces (at least one cup)
• Olives and cucumbers of your choice

Pantry items you likely have but may need to buy:

• salt
• pepper
• Olive oil (you need a fair bit so grab a fresh bottle if you run out)

The plan

Imagine gluten-free crackers instead of bread! Photo: AA Newton

Now that we have our ingredients, it’s time to cook. If you want, you can prepare the artichoke spread the day before. This spread is surprisingly creamy and full of artichoke flavor, but you need to spice it up with some salt, fat, and heat. To make roughly one cup of delicious artichoke spread you will need:

• 1 / 4-1 / 2 cup of flavorful olive oil made from olive oil
• 1 15-ounce can of artichoke hearts or bottoms in brine, drained
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and mashed
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, or another acidic ingredient
• 1/2 teaspoon of smooth Dijon mustard
• Salt to taste

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large pan over medium heat. When it’s nice and hot, add the drained artichokes and cloves of garlic. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are caramelized around the edges.

Scrape the contents of the pan into a blender or other container that you normally use with your hand blender. Pour the lemon juice or vinegar into the empty pan, scrape off any stuck brown pieces and add these to the blender as well. Add the mustard and puree the mixture until a slightly lumpy, gray-yellow paste is formed. It looks gross at this point, but don’t worry, the oil will smooth things out.

With the engine running, drizzle in 1/4 cup of oil and blend until smooth. If it seems a little too thick, gradually add up to 1/4 cup more oil and puree it until you get the consistency you want. Season to taste with salt and serve immediately (if you are preparing it right before the meeting) or pour into a covered container and store in the refrigerator until your fellow readers arrive. Serve with the thin and crispy gluten-free crackers, cucumber and olives.

Start making the cabbage two hours before your friends are due to arrive. First, collect your ingredients. To prepare this extremely soothing, yet amazingly simple dish, you will need:

• A kale head about 2 pounds with any hard, withered outer leaves removed
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt, plus more to taste
• 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• Lots of freshly cracked black pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
• Lemon wedges for serving

Preheat oven to 325 ° F. Pour the olive oil into a large Dutch oven (or other large, heavy saucepan with a lid); Add the onions and half a teaspoon of salt and cook over medium heat until soft and light golden brown, at least 20 minutes.

While the onions are cooking, cut the cabbage in half through the core and remove it by making wedge-shaped cuts in each half; When the exposed end of the core is dry and woody, cut it off and discard it. Finely chop whatever is left of the pit and add to the saucepan to cook with the onions and oil. Grate the cabbage leaves as finely as possible and set aside.

When the onions and cabbage are nice and brown, stir in the garlic and plenty of black pepper. Let sizzle for about a minute, until the garlic is just beginning to brown and the pepper smells great, then add the shredded cabbage leaves. Gently stir and swirl to coat each individual cabbage strip with oil. Add the vinegar and another large pinch of salt, stir again and cover the saucepan.

Place the saucepan in the oven and roast for 1 to 1 1/2 hours (or more), stirring once or twice. The end product should be meltingly soft, sweet, and caramelized around the edges; keep cooking until it looks and tastes the way you want it.

Instead of breadcrumbs, use pecan pieces, which frankly are better.Photo: Claire Lower

When you have about half an hour left to prepare the cabbage, make the salad. To do this, you need:

• 1 cup pecan pieces
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 small sage leaves, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 small head of radicchio

Toast the pecan pieces in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until warm and fragrant (about five minutes). Put aside. For the dressing, put the remaining ingredients in a sealable glass and shake until it is emulsified. The dressing can be kept in the refrigerator for about a week.

If you made the dressing beforehand, take it out of the fridge about an hour before dinner and shake it well to make sure everything is evenly distributed. Wash and dry the radicchio and pluck the leaves into bite-sized pieces.

Once the cabbage is soft, sweet, and caramelized, give it a little flavor and adjust with more salt and lemon if necessary. Serve with lemon wedges and the thick and shabby gluten-free crackers. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, sprinkle the pecan pieces on top and serve with an extra portion of each on the side. There are many leaves, but these leaves are at very different ends of the flavor spectrum. Bitter and sweet, crunchy and soft, colorful and beige – with this special combination you get it all.