Roasted red cabbage: trust me on this one

I like this recipe so much that I am sure you will like it too. In fact, if you don't like it, I will personally reimburse you. The secret is that there's not much to lose here, except my reputation. A head of cabbage, even an organic one from a farmer's market, costs around $1, and I am serious that I will mail you a $1 check if you try this and don't like it. The one I bought last week here in Italy cost $0.68 euro cents. So I am calling all cabbage haters to the challenge. Paul used to be one of them. He would even pick out the thin slices of red cabbage from salads, but will now happily eat a bowl of this roasted version and likes it so much that he wanted me to post the recipe on the blog.

Cabbage doesn't seem to get much credit. It is used so universally throughout the world, so maybe it has been taken for granted. It's time to give it another look. I got the idea for roasting red cabbage from Kami, my friend and former coworker at USC, who would bring containers of the stuff to work and we would eat it like potato chips. But this recipe isn't just for crazy obesity researchers. In addition to being full of vitamins and fiber, it tastes great, makes a colorful addition to a plate, is inexpensive, and is very simple to make with just 3 ingredients.

So there is really no excuse. Buy a cabbage and try it. And don't forget to tell me what you think.

Ingredients:

1 head of red cabbage

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper (optional)

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. A toaster oven that has a roasting pan works too.

2) Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage and rinse if necessary. Make sure to dry it very well as it will be soggy if you roast it while wet.

3) Cut the cabbage in half, slicing through the core.

4) Using a paring knive, remove the core from each half.

5) Lay the flat side of each half on the cutting board and slice the cabbage crosswise into ribbons about 1/2 inch thick.

6) Generously drizzle olive oil on a roasting pan and add the sliced cabbage. Toss it around a bit to distribute the oil and then roughly spread it into a thick layer. It is okay if pieces overlap. But do not pile it too high or else the cabbage will steam instead of roast. I made it here in Italy in our toaster oven so was only able to use half of a small cabbage at once. At home in LA I can fit a whole small to medium cabbage on a sheet pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

7) Roast for about 25 minutes, checking and tossing every 5 minutes or so to prevent burning. Here's what it should look like when it is done. Some parts will remain a bit crunchy and others will be crispy.

8) Serve either in a bowl by itself or as a colorful side dish. Other vegetables like zucchinni and carrots can be roasted in the same way and served with the cabbage too.

Buon appetito!