There is nothing like a market stall piled high with cabbages in a huge variety of shades from pure white to bright lime green or deep purplish red. Some may be larger than your head, their huge leaves used for stuffing; some may be small and crunchy and perfect for salad; some may be more fibrous, lending themselves to slow stewing. White cabbage is possibly the most underrated of all, but we absolutely love it. You don’t even really need the dressing if you don’t fancy it – just grill a cabbage and eat it.

 

Adapted from Chasing Smoke, Cooking Over Fire Around the Levant
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• Cut the cabbage into four or six wedges, depending on how large it is, and brush the cut surfaces with olive oil.
• Set the wedges cut-side down on a very hot grill to char for 4 minutes, then flip and grill the other cut surface for 4 minutes. Finally set the wedges on their rounded sides for a final 4 minutes, to soften the cabbage a little.
• Remove to a platter and sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt.
• While the cabbage is charring, combine the shallots, chillies and garlic with the butter and set in a small pan on the side of the grill over a low-moderate heat, enough to just melt the butter and lightly confit the vegetables.
• Stir occasionally, cooking for about 12–14 minutes or until the shallots are soft and look translucent.
• Remove from the heat, add the salt and chopped dill and mix well. Pour the butter dressing all over the warm cabbage and serve straight away for best results.
• To cook without a BBQ
• Use a lightly oiled, preheated griddle pan on your stove top and cook the cabbage wedges just as you would on the fire. Prepare the dressing on your stove too, in a small pan over a low heat.

Serves 4 as a starter and 8 as a side