
Hello again. I was intending to post a frozen dessert recipe this week, so confident was I that spring had sprung and that the warmer days were here. However, these past few days have seen a return to winter. Much of the UK has been under a blanket of snow this week. So far, none of the white stuff here (fingers crossed), it has been dry, bright and clear, but it is far too chilly to be thinking about or eating cold food. Instead, I have been back in the kitchen cooking comforting recipes instead.

I am a huge fan of green veg, and this handsome specimen is one of my favourites. My recipe this week is a simple gratin of baked Savoy cabbage wedges with onion, a plant-based cream sauce and crispy crumbs of sage and onion to finish. Very hearty as a meal on its own, the gratin is also a great accompaniment to a stew or roast. I enjoyed mine with a pan-fried tattie scone (or two) – if you fancy making your own, here’s a link to my very easy recipe: Tattie scones (gluten-free; dairy-free; vegan)

Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 1 whole Savoy cabbage
- 2tbsp vegetable oil + extra for greasing
- 1 large red onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 50g plant butter
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- A few fresh sage leaves
- 350ml plant-based double cream
- 50g gluten-free sage and onion stuffing mix
1. Trim the cabbage and remove the outer leaves, then cut into 8 wedges. Lightly oil a baking dish and arrange the cabbage in the dish in a single layer. Check out my other cabbage recipes for ways to use up the outer cabbage leaves here: One Savoy cabbage, three recipes (gluten-free; dairy-free; vegan)
2. Peel and slice the onion, and peel and finely chop the garlic. Melt half the butter with the oil and gently fry the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes to soften but not brown. Spoon over the cabbage and season well. Sprinkle with sage leaves.

3. There is no need to preheat the oven for this recipe, just place the dish in the oven and set the temperature to 180°C, 160°C fan oven, gas 4. Bake for 30 minutes.
4. Pour over the plant cream and cover with a lid or foil and bake for a further 30 minutes until tender.
5. While the cabbage is cooking, soak the stuffing mix in 100ml boiling water until reconstituted. Melt the remaining butter and heat until bubbling, then break up the stuffing and add to the pan. Keep stirring and breaking up the stuffing until it forms clumps and starts to brown and crisp up; this takes about 6-7 minutes. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm.
6. To serve, discard the sage leaves and sprinkle over the crispy crumbs. Garnish with fresh sage if liked.


Baked cabbage with sage and crispy crumbs. Image: Kathryn Hawkins
Perhaps by the time I write my next post, spring will have returned and it will be more fitting to publish a recipe for warmer days. Until then, wrap up warm if you need to and enjoy the sights and sounds of the new season. Thanks for stopping by 🙂