Charred hispi cabbage & romesco sauce

Instruction

1. ROMESCO SAUCE: Prepare ahead - halve the pepper lengthways and remove the seeds and stalk. Line a baking sheet with foil and put the pepper halves, skin side up, on the grill pan with the whole garlic cloves, chilli and tomato. Grill for 2 minutes, turn the tomato, then grill for a further 2 minutes. Remove the tomato with a large spoon, then peel, quarter and remove the seeds. Then chop the tomato roughly
2.  Continue grilling the pepper, chilli and garlic for 4-5 minutes, until the pepper and chilli skins have blackened and the garlic is starting to soften (the garlic skin will start to split when it is ready). When cool enough to handle, peel and halve the chilli, and scrape out and discard the seeds. Peel the pepper and roughly chop both the pepper and chilli.
3.  Spread nuts over the foil and grill until toasted, being careful not to burn. Finely chop the nuts and parsley in a food processor. Set aside in a small bowl.
4. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan, add the pepper, garlic and chilli and fry for 3 minutes. Add the breadcrumbs (or diced stale bread), turning it in the oil until lightly browned. Pulse in food processor with the tomatoes, salt, sherry vinegar and oil until roughly chopped. Tip into a bowl and stir in the pulsed nuts and parsley

1. Preheat the oven to 190C.
2. Quarter the cabbage lengthways and sprinkle with salt, making sure the seasoning permeates the leaves.
3.  Put a sturdy frying pan on high heat and add a few tablespoons of sunflower oil. When the oil is smoking, add the hispi cabbage cut side down - hold the cabbage against the pan for a few moments to ensure full contact with the pan. You want to achieve a good char on the cabbage, so leave it to cook in the hot pan for 5 minutes. When golden brown, do the same for the other side.
4.  When the cabbage has developed a good colour on the cut side, flip the cabbage over so it the cut side is facing upwards. Transfer the pan to the oven and allow to cook for 8-9 minutes. You want to retain some bite to the leaves so be careful not to overcook.
5. While the cabbage is cooking, spread a pool of your romesco sauce in the middle of the plate. When it has finished cooking, remove the cabbage from the oven and place a quarter on top of the romesco sauce. Finish with a few drops of lemon juice, some extra virgin olive oil and some more toasted nuts and chopped herbs.

Extra Notes

Perfect as part of a main course or starter

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