Small Comforts

It is raining tonight in the Bay. Not unusual really, but a little disappointing when I was hoping we were done with our (very much needed) soggy winter.



It's not just raining a little either, it's raining a lot. It is raining in that delicious way that makes you want to bunker down at home with a cup of tea and a good book, but also in that horrible way that makes the half mile slog to the transit station on your way home miserable, soggy, and ice cold.




Nature is full of surprises and blessings in disguise. I suppose for now I will have to roll with the punches, turn my radiator up, set my shoes out to dry and have a nice big bowl of something hearty and warm. Tonight I'm going for pasta with some odds and ends from the fridge, but something I really came to love this winter is roasted cabbage with bacon*. Serve it over pasta, with a fried egg and some crusty bread, or just eat it all on its own. Soft and crisp, sweet and salty, and caramelized to perfection this is a truly satisfying way to end the day.


Roasted Cabbage, with Bacon
One head of Cabbage, aprox. 1 lb. (If your cabbage is larger, cut it in half or be prepared to need 2 baking pans)
Bacon, and kind will do - I like pepper bacon, aprox. 2 slices per pound of cabbage
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil

Sea salt and/or Parmesan cheese to finish if you like

1) Rinse any residual dirt from your cabbage and remove any dry or browned leaves.
2) Cut into wedges, trimming the core but leaving it mostly intact. Anywhere between 8 and 16 wedges per head of cabbage should be good, aprox 1-2 inches on the thick side.
3) Arrange wedges in a single layer in a baking pan large enough to accommodate your cabbage. A 1 lb cabbage should fit in a 13x9 inch baking dish.
4) Cut the bacon into roughly 1/4-1/2 in pieces. Scatter evenly over the cabbage.
5) Apply salt and pepper liberally and drizzle with olive oil.
6) Roast at 450 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until edges are browned and caramelized and interior layers have softened and become slightly translucent.
7) Sprinkle with coarse sea salt or freshly grated Parmesan to taste. Serve over pasta, with a fried egg (I recommend the Zuni egg) or just eat it straight out of the pan. I won't tell.

*A friendly reminder to be careful about when you cook/eat this and who you eat it with, like garlic, cabbage is one of nature's blessings that likes to keeps sharing the love.