Saint Patrick's Day Cabbage

For some reason I really got into Saint Patrick's Day this year. I don't know if it's because I miss Boston, that spring is suddenly here, or that I'm simply feeling extra domestic lately. In any case, we had a nice little dinner for family last night. Early in the day I started a vegetarian "Irish" stew in the crockpot, substituting beef with tempeh and adding some Guinness to the broth during the last hour of cooking. The photo above is Chesney, our Jack Russell who knows he is not allowed in the kitchen during cooking, but who loves carrots more than anything in the whole wide world. So that's him right outside the kitchen door, begging.

Along with the stew we had some Dubliner cheddar, soda bread, pints of Guinness and the prerequisite that usually makes us both gag . . . cabbage. But, rather than boil the cabbage we got in our CSA box, we roasted it in the oven. It's quite easy and takes on a richer (and more enjoyable) flavor.

Roasted Cabbage
Adapted from Everyday Food Magazine

1 head green cabbage
olive oil
sea salt or kosher salt
pepper
caraway seeds

Preheat oven to 400. Cut cabbage head into rounds 1" thick and arrange in a single layer on two lightly oiled baking sheets. Brush with olive oil; sprinkle with salt, pepper, and caraway seeds. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until cabbage is soft and caramelized at edges.