Jackson Boxer’s vegetarian recipe for sauteed cabbage with cheese cream and sunflower seeds

This is a fun recipe that takes advantage of the hispi cabbage’s sweet nature and pliant structure. You can give it a really hard blast of heat, and it will crisp, caramelise and smoke, but still retain a lot of its easy freshness and bright crunch; it will also take on a pleasing, slightly slippery texture, like buttered noodles. This plate has the satisfaction of a hearty bowl of pasta without being nearly so enervating, and it works fantastically as a side dish, too, either as a companion to toasted whole grains or some grilled mushrooms.

Sauteed cabbage with cheese cream and sunflower seeds

Prep 15 min
Cook 30 min, plus cooling
Serves 4

For the cream
150g egg yolks (about 5-6)
45g lemon juice
5g minced garlic (about ½ clove)
10g sherry vinegar (about 2 tsp)
75g mature farmhouse cheddar , or vegetarian parmesan, grated
2g flaky sea salt (about ½ tsp)
250g unsalted butter, melted
250ml extra-virgin olive oil
250g creme fraiche

For the cabbage
1kg hispi (1½-2 whole cabbages), trimmed and cut into 2cm-thick ribbons
100ml extra-virgin olive oil
10g flaky sea salt (about 2 tsp)
20g chardonnay vinegar
Black pepper, to finish
Minced chives, to finish
Smoked chilli flakes, to finish (optional)

For the sunflower seeds
100g sunflower seeds
15g white soy sauce
10g white sugar (about 2½ tsp)

First make the cream. Put the egg yolks, lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, cheese and salt in a steel bowl, set this over a pan of simmering water (make sure the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water), then whisk constantly until it reaches a temperature of 75C. Slowly whisk in the butter, oil and creme fraiche, to make a smooth emulsion, then cover with clingfilm and leave to cool to room temperature.

Now for the cabbage. Toss the sliced cabbage in the olive oil to coat. Heat a wide, heavy pan until it’s smoking hot. Working in small batches, saute the cabbage hard for a couple of minutes, turning often, so it colours aggressively but does not burn. Turn out each batch of cooked cabbage on to a wide tray (or trays), and spread out so it cools evenly and doesn’t steam in its own heat. Once all the cabbage has cooled to room temperature, dress with the salt and vinegar.

Meanwhile, put the sunflower seeds in a small bowl with the soy and sugar, stir until the sugar dissolves, then leave to sit for about 10 minutes. Spread out the soaked seeds on a small oven tray or dish, then toast in a 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4 oven for five minutes. Thoroughly mix the seeds with a spatula, then roast for another five minutes. Mix again, roast for a final three minutes and check the colour: the seeds should have toasted to a nice, even brown. Remove and leave to cool to room temperature.

To serve, divide the cabbage between four plates. Gently warm up the cheese cream, then spoon it decoratively all over the top. Sprinkle on the sunflower seeds, and finish with freshly ground black pepper and minced chives; if you want to add some heat, smoked chilli flakes wouldn’t go amiss, either.

• Jackson Boxer is chef/owner of Brunswick House, Vesper and Dove, all in London, and culinary director of Cowley Manor near Cheltenham and the Henrietta in London