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Christmas cabbage with hazelnuts, olives and raisins

Name: Christmas cabbage with hazelnuts, olives and raisins
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: Serves 4-6 as a side
Ingredients: 40g raisins; ½ (250g) savoy cabbage; 50g blanched hazelnuts, toasted (see Know How, below); Handful parsley leaves; Handful mint leaves; 40g green pitted olives; 40g pomegranate seeds; 1 tbsp sherry vinegar; Knob of unsalted butter or 1 tbsp olive oil

By: Pollyanna Coupland
Food producer, delicious.

Published: 16 Nov 22
Updated: 18 Mar 24

Christmas cabbage with hazelnuts, olives and raisins

Jazz up your Christmas cabbage by treating it like a salad, combining shredded savoy leaves with a smattering of nuts, olives, raisins, herbs and pomegranate seeds. The contrasting textures and fresh pops of flavour work wonders with the rest of a classic festive spread.

Plan your festive menu with more Christmas trimmings, sauces and sides.

Easy
December 2022

Test kitchen approved

Serves 4-6 as a side
Hands-on time 20 min

Plan your festive menu with more Christmas trimmings, sauces and sides.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 137kcals
Fat: 7.9g (1.4g saturated)
Protein: 3g
Carbohydrates: 11.9g (11.6g sugars)
Fibre: 3.3g
Salt: 0.2g

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Ingredients

40g raisins
½ (250g) savoy cabbage
50g blanched hazelnuts, toasted (see Know How, below)
Handful parsley leaves
Handful mint leaves
40g green pitted olives
40g pomegranate seeds
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
Knob of unsalted butter or 1 tbsp olive oil

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Method

Put the raisins in a heatproof bowl, then cover with boiling water from the kettle. Set aside to plump up and rehydrate slightly. Meanwhile, finely shred the cabbage and add to a medium saucepan.
Roughly chop the toasted hazelnuts and herbs and slice the olives. Add to a bowl with the pomegranate seeds and sherry vinegar. Drain the raisins, roughly chop and add them too. Stir to combine.
Put the pan with the cabbage in over a medium heat and cover with boiling water from the kettle (if there’s still some left from when you soaked the raisins, this will still be hot enough, so no need to boil the kettle again). Simmer for 5 minutes, then drain and return to the pan. Add the butter (or oil) and a pinch of salt, then toss to coat. Transfer the cabbage to a serving dish and scatter over the topping mixture.

Recipe from December 2022 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 137kcals
Fat: 7.9g (1.4g saturated)
Protein: 3g
Carbohydrates: 11.9g (11.6g sugars)
Fibre: 3.3g
Salt: 0.2g

delicious. tips

Don’t waste it: It’s always tricky to know what to do with half-used cabbages; recipes rarely call for an entire one. Luckily, they last for a good while if kept wrapped in the fridge. Our favourite way of using up leftover cabbage is to shred it then fiercely stir-fry it with garlic, ginger, spring onion and chilli for a great little side or simply served over rice (with whatever else needs using in your fridge).
This entire dish can be made up to 4 hours in advance and kept in the fridge.
Toasting hazelnuts in the oven instead of a pan ensures a more even toast and means you don’t have to keep an eagle eye on the nuts to make sure they don’t burn. To toast any nut, put them on a baking tray in a single layer then cook in the oven at 160ºC fan/gas 4 for 7-8 minutes, shaking the tray halfway through.