Grilled hispi cabbage with romesco sauce and bacon dressing
Simple, with bold flavours, this is a great way to show off a hispi cabbage. Remove the bacon dressing to make this a delicious vegan meal.
Ingredients
For the romesco sauce
- 2 red peppers, left whole
- 3 garlic cloves
- 100g/3½oz blanched almonds
- 50–100ml/2–3½fl oz olive oil
- 1–2 tsp sherry vinegar
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1–2 tbsp red pepper or tomato purée
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the bacon dressing
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 slices pancetta
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 1 anchovy fillet, chopped
- 1 shallot, diced
- 1–2 tsp sherry vinegar
- 1 tbsp roughly chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
For the cabbage
Method
To make the romesco, put a large frying pan over a high heat. When the pan is hot, add the peppers, garlic and almonds with a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Fry until the peppers are blistered, then cover the pan and sweat until you can easily peel the skin from the peppers. Once peeled, put them in a blender with the garlic and almonds. Blend with the sherry vinegar, smoked paprika, red pepper purée and enough olive oil to create a smooth paste. Season to taste and set aside.
To make the bacon dressing, heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the pancetta until crisp. Move the pancetta to a plate and set aside. Add the garlic and anchovy to the pan and fry for a minute or so, then discard the garlic and anchovy.
Pour the oil from the pan into a bowl and mix with the shallots. Add the sherry vinegar to taste, followed by the parsley. Set aside.
Put a griddle pan over a high heat. Brush the cabbage with a little oil and seasoning. When the griddle pan is hot, add the cabbage and griddle on all sides until tender.
To serve, spoon the romesco sauce onto a plate and top with the cabbage, crispy pancetta and dressing.
