In the colder months of the year, I find it all too easy to lean on Asian, Indian, or Mexican flavours to perk me up and create a bit of excitement when the offerings of the season have become a bit monotonous. But truthfully, at this time of year I want simple British flavours most, and this salad sings with them.
The sometimes forgotten savoy cabbage is roasted into crisp-edged wedges, more pleasing to me than the now ever-present roasted broccoli or kale, and paired with plump roasted squash, caraway seeds, a rye crumb, and a mustard-spiked dressing, all finished with a crumble of sharp cheddar (though vegans can happily leave this out). This dish is so rooted in time and place, and that’s when eating and cooking feels best to me.
Preheat the oven 220°C.
Halve and deseed the squash and cut into wedges 2 cm thick. Cut your cabbage into eight chunky wedges. Place them both on a large baking sheet and sprinkle with a good amount of salt and pepper. Add a good drizzle of oil and the caraway seeds and roast in the hot oven for 35 minutes until the squash is soft and cooked through and the cabbage is golden and crisp and charred at the edges.
Meanwhile, put the rye bread into a food processor and blitz until you have rough bread crumbs—you still want a good bit of texture here. Put the crumbs on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil, a good pinch of salt, a generous grind of black pepper, and the capers. Toast in the hot oven for 5 minutes, until the crumbs smell toasty and have a pleasing crunch, being careful not to burn them—with the dark colour of the rye bread, it can be easy to overcook them.
Mix the dressing ingredients, season well, and put to one side.
When the cabbage and squash are cooked, take them out of the oven and pour onto
a platter with the cheddar. Drizzle generously with the dressing, mix well, then scatter
over the rye crumbs and take to the table.
An essential addition to every cook’s bookshelf, The Modern Cook’s Year will show you how to make the most of seasonal produce, using simple, hugely inventive flavours and ingredients. Divided into six seasons, the cookbook contains over 200 delicious vegetarian recipes interspersed with tips on everything from seasonal music playlists to flowers to look out for in each month of the year.
Sign up for my newsletter for joyful and inspiring recipes from me every week, as well as occasional takeovers from other brilliant chefs. I promise never to go overboard and you can unsubscribe at any time.