A warm winter salad with Savoy cabbage

I should call this the Sotto salad, or the Bettina salad. When my mum was visiting us just before Christmas we went to my friend's wonderful vegetarian pizza restaurant, Sotto, here in Berlin. As a starter we shared a salad of braised Savoy cabbage, chunks of savoury Hokkaido pumpkin, cashews and dried cranberries, served with tahini dip and fresh bread. We all absolutely loved it and I immediately decided to make it at home.

My at-home version features ingredients we're likely to have in the cupboard, but the dish is a copy, there's no denying it.

The wrinkly, tasty and sweet Savoy cabbage keeps firm when cooked, which makes it a great base for a wintery salad. The Hokkaido pumpkin is remarkably nutty and savory, the beetroots bring more sweetness (and are super good for you!), the roasted chickpeas add spice and crunch.

You're cooking with the oven and on the stove-top so the salad is a more labour intense than what I usually cook on a week night – but it's worth the trouble! 

A warm salad with Savoy cabbage and pumpkin

2 portions

1/2 head of Savoy cabbage (about 300g, more will be difficult to fit in a single pan)
400g Hokkaido pumpkin (about 1/4)
300g beetroots
1 tin chickpeas (or cashews)

4 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp soy sauce

0,5 tsp chili powder

0,5 tsp garlic powder
50 ml water

1 tbsp soy sauce

Salt, pepper

Turn the oven to 200°C.

Prepare the vegetables: The Hokkaido pumpkin doesn't have to be peeled, but give it a rinse and slice off any bruises and scars. You'll only need about a quarter, so cut it in half, take out the seeds and half it again. (Refrigerate the rest and make a soup the next day!) Cut the pumpkin into chunks or wedges that you move into a mid-sized bowl – toss them in 1/2-1 tablespoon of olive oil before scattering them on the baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Peel, rinse and dice the beetroots to smallish cubes (they will be the slowest to roast), toss them too in the bowl with olive oil before pouring them on to the baking tray, next to the pumpkin.

Lastly, pour the liquid out of the chickpea tin (save it for other use!) and pour the peas into the bowl already used for tossing the veggies in oil. Add a teaspoon of oil if there's not none left in the bowl, add soy sauce and spices. Mix well, then spoon the chickpeas over to the baking sheet.

Put the tray into the oven, roast for 10 min, then give the veg and chickpeas a stir, and roast for another 10-15 minutes – until the beetroots have softened and the pumpkin and chickpeas have some colour.

Braise the cabbage: As the veg goes in the oven, rinse the Savoy cabbage well – each outer leaf separately – in order to get rid of dirt or insects lodged between leaves or in the crinkles. Pat the leaves dry and slice them into strips the width of about two fingers, then cut across to make squares. 

To braise the cabbage, pick the biggest pan you have – grab a pot if you are worried it won't fit your pan. Heat up a table spoon of oil, add the cabbage and let it warm up for a few minutes before you add water and a table spoon of soy sauce. Let simmer under a lid for about 15-20 minutes on low-to-mid heat, stir regularly. Check the texture – softened but not wilted – and add a drop of soy sauce or a pinch of salt if needed.

Share the cabbage between two plates, pile on the veggies and chickpeas. Finish with a tahini dressing or as is, and eat while the portion is still warm or luke warm.