A stylish dinner party dish that makes the January King the ruling star.
It looks like a lot of steps, but it's easy-peasy (it's almost all blender-work).
I love the contrasts of textures and flavours, especially with the punchy romesco adding a vivid splash of colour to the plate.
Serves 2.
For the pan grattato
1 slice stale bread, or bread dried out in a low oven for 10 minutes
Zest of ½ lemon
Small handful of parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp olive oil
Blitz the bread in a food processor into breadcrumbs.
Heat the olive oil in a small frying pan and toast the breadcrumbs.
When cool, mix with the zest and parsley and set aside.
For the caper oil
1 tbsp capers
100ml olive oil
1 small handful parsley (or if making the soup above, use leftover basil oil)
Salt and pepper
1. Blitz everything but the capers in a processor.
2. Stir in the capers and check the seasoning.
For the romesco
50g blanched whole almonds
100g roasted red peppers, or 1 pepper roasted in olive oil until soft, with the oil
2 cloves garlic
1tbsp red wine or sherry vinegar
1tsp smoked paprika
Pinch of salt
Blitz everything in a blender to a vivid paste. Add more vinegar or salt to taste, or add more oil for a looser sauce.
For the black beans
1tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, finely diced
1tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 tin of black beans
100ml vegetable stock
Sauté the onion over a medium heat. Add the oregano.
Toss in the black beans and the stock, with a bay leaf.
Simmer for around 10-15 mins.
For the cabbage
1/2 a January King cabbage (or, if you're making the January King and Cannellini Bean Soup, 3/4)
Salt, pepper
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3tbsp olive oil
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (fan 180).
Cut the cabbage into large wedges.
Place in a roasting tin, cut sides up.
Rub with salt, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil.
Roast for 30 mins.
To assemble: spoon some beans into a shallow dish. Place a cabbage wedge or two on top and top with a dollop of romesco. Drizzle the caper oil over the dish and scatter some pan grattato to finish.