Fun Veg to Bring to the Function: Cabbage!

Cabbage Steaks Smothered in Au Poivre Sauce

I knew I wanted to use cabbage for my Fun Veg series, but at first I planned to reshare my tahini-maple caramelized cabbage. Still a great recipe and one I truly love, but it’s also one I’ve been making for years, so I decided to pivot. As a meat-eating veggie lover, I firmly believe vegetables benefit from getting the “meat treatment.” By that I mean: season generously, grill or sear like a steak, build a pan sauce.

Au poivre is the ultimate pan sauce and very easy to make. Cabbage is such a fantastic vegetable that deserves all the recent love it’s been getting because of how delicious it is no matter how you prepare it (with a few exceptions of course). It also happens to be able to take on serious char, much like a pan-seared New York strip, which got me to thinking. A while back, I helped my friend Sara with an event where she made mushroom au poivre as a veg main. It was excellent and I remember thinking, why aren’t we making au poivre sauce all the time? And that thought was correct.

Cabbage works perfectly here, because it wants to be given the steakhouse treatment. It gets blanketed in coarsely ground black pepper and develops a deep, golden sear in a cast-iron pan. Like the other recipes in this series, the ingredient list is intentionally short with just ten ingredients, including salt, pepper, and oil. My goal is to offer up some stellar star-energy vegetable mains for your holiday table and this one is going to be hard to beat.

Cabbage au Poivre

Serves 4

ingredients

1 medium green or savoy cabbage*

1 1/2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more

2 to 3 tablespoons of a high heat oil like avocado or peanut

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large shallot, finely minced, about 1 cup

1/3 cup Cognac or Brandy*

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock

3/4 cup heavy cream

Chives, thinly sliced, optional

Recipe & Ingredient Notes

*Make sure to choose smaller cabbages for this preparation. Large cabbage may not cook through the center and also may need more pan sauce than this 1x recipe calls for.

*Cognac might not be kicking around your liquor cabinet but you can substitute it for brandy, whisky, or even sherry in a pinch.

This recipe is easy to scale, just prepare as many cabbage wedges as servings you need and multiply the au poivre sauce ingredients accordingly. To make it ahead, sear the cabbage and prepare the sauce in advance but store separately. When ready to serve, warm the cabbage, well spaced on a lightly oiled sheet pan in a 350°F oven for 15–20 minutes. Gently reheat the au poivre sauce on the stovetop and serve over top the warmed cabbage.

preparation

1. Prepare the cabbage: Place the cabbage on a cutting board with the core facing up. Cut straight down through the center of the core to split it into two even halves, keeping the core intact. Then cut each half straight through the core again to create four equal wedges. The core should remain attached so the wedges hold together and don’t fall apart.

2. Toast the peppercorns: Add the peppercorns to a small saute pan over medium heat. Toast, swirling the pan frequently to prevent burning, until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Cool the peppercorns and transfer to a mortar and pestle or a pepper grinder set to the coarsest grind. Crush the peppercorns into a coarse texture, making sure most of the peppercorns are broken up.

4. Season the cabbage: Generously and evenly season the cabbage on each cut side with the salt and half the peppercorns.

5. Sear the cabbage: Heat a 10-inch heavy bottomed pan like a cast iron over medium-high heat. Hover your hand over the pan to see if its warm before swirling in 2 tablespoons of high heat oil.

6. Add two of the cabbage wedges to the pan and drizzle lightly with a bit more oil. Sear undisturbed for about 5 to 6 minutes, until the cut side is deeply caramelized and the cabbage begins to soften. Flip and sear the second side for another 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining two wedges, adding more oil if the pan is dry.

7. Make the pan sauce: Reduce the heat to medium and melt the butter. Add in the shallots and a pinch of salt. Cook until the shallots are caramelized and softened, 7 to 8 minutes. Add in the reserved peppercorns and fry until fragrant, about 1 minut. Pour in the Cognac to deglaze and reduce until the shallots are jammy, about 4 to 5 minutes.

8. Pour in the chicken stock and heavy cream and bring up to a simmer. Return the cabbage to the pan with the cream sauce to warm through, about 5 minutes.

9. Transfer the cabbage to a serving plate and cover with the au poivre sauce. Garnish with the chives and more peppercorns if you’re feeling crazy!