Look at what I hauled out of the cabbage patch, foodie friends! It didn’t look that big in the garden but it certainly put a smile on my face when I tried to heave it up for a picture. Now, its’ not the biggest cabbage ever grown in Newfoundland and Labrador, but it was a proud gardener’s moment for this gal.
“There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments,” – Janet Kilburn Phillips
I posted the picture of my cabbage on social media asking, “What to make, what to make?” and nearly every single person came back with the ever loved cabbage rolls. Sheesh, I didn’t realize they were so popular.
There was one response that was different from the rest and it certainly caught my attention. They suggested Bubble and Squeak. I had to Google it as I had no idea what it was. Glad I did because it looks super delicious. A recipe I’m going to definitely try with my next harvested cabbage. I would have written about Bubble and Squeak this week, but I already had my head wrapped around a new idea.
As much as people told me to make cabbage rolls out of this big head of cabbage, I was looking for something completely different — and I found it — cabbage dippers.
Folks, I have to admit, your beloved cabbage rolls may have to take a back seat to this recipe. I know, I know, you are thinking I’m cracked. However, if you haven’t had cabbage dippers yet — don’t judge.
“You had me at bacon-wrapped.” – Unknown
Yeah, that’s right. These cabbage dippers are wrapped in delicious, mouth-watering, salty, fatty goodness. Otherwise known as bacon. You can never go wrong with a recipe that calls for bacon.
“If by ‘crunches’ you mean the sound bacon makes when you eat it, then yes, I do crunches.” – Unknown
OK, last bacon quote, I promise. Let’s dig into what this recipe contains. You’re going to need a medium sized head of cabbage, bacon (two packs), olive oil, oregano, salt, pepper and grated parmesan cheese.
I will admit, I struggled with how big to cut the cabbage wedges. I was afraid that if they were too big, the bacon would cook before the cabbage was ready. I cut them at about an inch think on the wider part. A half head of this cabbage yielded eight nice sized cabbage dippers.
I should also tell you in advance that you’re going to need more than an ounce of patience handling the cabbage wedges. They fall apart easily if not handled with care.
Let’s begin.
Get a plate, drizzle a nice amount of olive oil and add all the spices and parmesan cheese. You may have to replenish this depending on how much you use. I did at least three times. Using one cabbage wedge at a time, place it on the plate and try to cover with the mixture. Once complete, start wrapping bacon strips around it. I used two strips for each wedge. When finished wrapping the bacon, place your cabbage dipper on a cooking sheet lined with parchment paper. If you have any leftover olive oil, spice and cheese mixture on the plate, spread it on top of your cabbage dippers. As my Nan says, “waste not, want not”.
Set your oven to 450 degrees. When heated, place the cabbage dippers in the oven for about 30 minutes. Make sure you keep an eye on them as you want the final result to be a nice golden brown colour.
I wish I could share the smell of these delicious cabbage dippers with you. Alas, this isn’t scratch and sniff paper.
You can turn cabbage dippers into a meal by serving it with a side salad. My favourite? Eating it on its own as a snack or appetizer and dipping it in ranch dressing. Absolutely mouth-watering. However you decide to serve it, it will be a palate pleaser.
Perhaps this one time you can break away from your adored cabbage rolls and take a step outside the comfort zone with a recipe like this one.
Why? Because cabbage dippers are definitely fit to eat.
Erin Sulley is a self-confessed foodie who lives in Mount Pearl.
