Bacon and Cabbage

Wed, 2 July 2025

Bacon and Cabbage

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 800g – 1kg bacon loin
• 6 cloves
• 2 aromatics bay leaves
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6 pepper corns
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1g brown sugar
• Water, to over the bacon by 5cm
• 4 portions of cabbage, sliced thinly
• 50g butter
• ½ lemon
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• Ground white pepper
• Salt
• 250ml white sauce or Béchamel sauce
• 25ml cream
• 10g Italian parsley, finely sliced rather than chopped
• Cooking liquid from the bacon

 

Ingredients:

1. Cover bacon in cold water in a large pot, add the aromatics and bring to a slow boil. Cook until 69°C when probed (approx. 35-45 minutes depending on the size).

2. Cut your potatoes into large even pieces and steam until soft. Set aside with a lid covering them over the steaming water to keep them hot.

3. Pre-heat the oven to 220°C when the bacon is nearly ready, allow about 5-10 minutes to heat the oven.

4. Remove bacon from the water and allow it to slightly steam dry on a cooling rack with parchment under on an oven tray. Once dry, coat the fat with honey & brown sugar and transfer to the preheated oven's middle shelf.

5. Change the oven setting to oven/grill, reduce the heat to 180°C and bake until the sugar turns golden and crispy.

6. While the bacon is browning, strain some bacon cooking water, adjust the seasoning and blanch the cabbage in a strainer.

7. Melt the butter on a medium heat in a small pot, strain the cabbage when cooked and add it to the butter.

8. Season cabbage, squeeze over some lemon juice and a good grating of fresh nutmeg. Stir it through & put a lid on and set aside but keep warm.

9. Warm the white sauce with cream and a little cooking liquid from the bacon. Add the parsley and adjust the seasoning and keep warm.

10. In a medium pot with a lid, melt your butter for the potatoes on a medium heat, add the parsley once melted and then the warm potatoes.

11. Season and cover with a lid. Give them a shake to coat the potatoes in the parsley butter and slightly rough them up a bit

12. Plate the bacon by slicing two pieces of bacon per person, some potatoes, warm cabbage and lastly the homemade parsley sauce.