Chef’s Table: Try Tim Dover’s barbecued sweetheart cabbage with miso butter this summer

Tim Dover, from The Roost Restaurant in Bridge of Earn, hits the barbecue this week as he dishes up a delicious veggie dish with sweetheart cabbage.

Sweetheart cabbage is sweeter and more tender than ordinary cabbage and doesn’t take so long to cook.

It’s tight, green and leafy. Also known as pointed, hispi, or Chinese cabbage, the name sweetheart is used because of its sweet flavour.

The season in the UK is from May to November, but I believe they are at their best from the middle of June onwards and at their sweetest at the start of July.

Annually at the restaurant these sweet, crunchy cabbages feature as one of our side dishes. We chargrill the cabbage, then bake them in the oven smeared in a white miso butter.

The principle of the dish is that as your flavoured butter melts, it slides in between the leaves of the cabbage and cooks it from the inside out.

Here is a simple, tasty way to cook cabbage on the barbecue. They taste absolutely delicious and are the perfect accompaniment to any barbeque days.

Barbecued Sweetheart cabbage with miso butter

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 100g of salted butter, softened
• 30g of white miso
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 pinch of chilli flakes, (optional)
• 2 sweetheart cabbages
• 3 tbsp of white sesame seeds, toasted

Method

1. Start by pre-heating your barbecue to 200C and set it up for direct cooking. If you are cooking in an oven Fan 180C/200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 is perfect.
2. While the barbecue is heating up, make the miso butter by mixing the softened salted butter, white miso, garlic and chilli flakes together in a bowl and then set aside.
3. Remove the outer leaves of the cabbages and discard. Slice the cabbages in half lengthways and brush the cut sides with some miso butter. Place cut-side down on the barbecue for 10 minutes, cooking over direct heat until lightly charred with bar marks.
4. Once the cabbages are nicely charred, remove them from the barbecue and set it up for indirect cooking. (If you are cooking in the oven, continue to cook for another 20 minutes).
5. Turn the cabbage halves over so the cut sides are facing up. Brush plenty of miso butter over the cut sides of the cabbages, making sure the butter gets into all of the nooks and crannies. Close the lid and cook the cabbages for another 20 minutes, or until they are tender throughout. Baste regularly with the miso butter to keep them moist.
6. When the cabbages are tender, remove from the barbecue and slice in half lengthways. Serve with extra miso butter, then sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds and serve.

For more in this series…

• Chef’s Table: Have a go at this Indian twist on Scottish lamb
• Chef’s Table: Royal visitor is star of the show