Every September, I step up onto my soapbox to report for my self-appointed duty — one part desperate, one part cantankerous — to remind us that summer isn’t over yet. I beg us to put away the decorative gourds and pumpkin spice for just a tiny bit longer. It’s a slippery slope from “hooray, scarves!” and “look at that perfect rainbow of a tree!” to a very long winter where I forget what warmth feels like on my skin and I am beseeching us not to wish it away. Or, I struggle with change? Hm, it’s hard to tell!
These cabbage and halloumi skewers, like me, have their feet in both seasons: a heartier, warming vegetable but with flavors that still taste like weather warm enough to eat outside. If you haven’t grilled cabbage before, you’re in for a treat. Even on the most pathetic gas grill (i.e. mine), the thick leaves get a little sweet, a little smoky, and — as we’ve learned via this charred salt and vinegar cabbage, this roasted cabbage with walnuts and parmesan, and this crispy cabbage and cauliflower salad — the more char, the better. Thin slices of salty halloumi are threaded between the chunks of cabbage and they, too, taste astoundingly good grilled. The cheese was, in fact, designed for it. Finally, we make an herby, punchy mixture with garlic, lemon, capers, and red pepper and brush it all over and then my husband and I stand in the kitchen and wolf it all down and forget why we’d want to eat anything else for dinner.
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Big braiser news! In the 18 months since we launched the Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser, nothing has made me happier than seeing how many of you are cooking in it. It remains my forever, perfect pan — just the right size for weeknights, the right shape for sautéing, and the right depth for baking, roasting, and braising. Your number one request? More colors! And it’s finally happening. The Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser is now sold exclusively through Williams-Sonoma, which means that in addition to the original black, it comes in six! new! colors: Cranberry (bright red), Grenadine (deep red), Sage (light green), Basil (dark green), La Mer (dark blue-green), and Sapphire (dark blue). If you’re looking for inspiration for what to cook in your braiser, start here!
Cabbage and Halloumi Skewers
- 1 cup (1 ounce) packed fresh herbs, such as chives, parsley, and mint
- 1 tablespoon capers, drained
- 1 large lemon
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon mild red pepper flakes
- 8 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 8-ounce package halloumi, at room temperature so it’s easier to slice
- 1 to 1 1/4 pound green cabbage, cut into 1-to-2-inch chunks
Assemble skewers: Cut halloumi block into 1/4-inch slices, then cut each slice in approximately 1-inch flat squares. If your halloumi is breaking a lot, you can soak the block in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes to soften it slightly, making it easier to slice.
Thread chunks of cabbage and halloumi slices onto skewers, alternating the two for the length of the skewer. Brush skewers lightly with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Halve your zested lemon.
Grill the skewers: Heat your grill to a high temperature. Arrange the skewers across the grill and cook until lightly charred underneath, then turn the skewers to char the next side. Brush the just-grilled parts with the herb oil, continuing to turn the skewers until they’re charred on all sides and you’ve used all of the oil. You can put the lemon halves on the grill as well to grill them. Squeeze the lemon halves over the skewers and enjoy them as soon as possible.
No grill? You can arrange the skewers on a baking sheet and run them under your oven’s broiler, turning and brushing them as you would on the grill.
Previously
6 months ago: Simplest Brisket with Braised Onions
1 year ago: Napa Cabbage Wedge with Miso Dressing
2 years ago: Simple Eggplant Parmesan
3 years ago: Eggplant Involtini
4 years ago: Baked Farro with Summer Vegetables
5 years ago: Shaved Fennel and Crushed Olive Salad and Corn Coconut Soup
6 years ago: Salted Caramel Pretzel Blondies
7 years ago: Foolproof Cacio e Pepe
8 years ago: Cheesecake Bars with All The Berries and Corn Chowder with Chile, Lime, and Cotija
9 years ago: Eggplant Parmesan Melts and Even More Perfect Blueberry Muffins
10 years ago: Angel Hair Pasta with Raw Tomato Sauce, Crispy Peach Cobbler, and Corn Chowder Salad
11 years ago: Strawberries and Cream with Graham Crumbles and Corn, Cheddar and Scallion Strata
12 years ago: Almond-Crisped Peaches, Key Lime Popsicles and Zucchini Parmesan Crisps
13 years ago: Mediterranean Baked Feta with Tomatoes, Leek, Chard, and Corn Flatbread and Vanilla Custards with Roasted Blueberries
14 years ago: Hazelnut Plum-Crumb Tart, Zucchini Fritters, and Naked Tomato Sauce
15 years ago: Eggplant Salad Toasts and Peach Shortbread
16 years ago: Grilled Eggplant and Olive Pizza and Peach Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Frosting
17 years ago: Slow-Roasted Tomatoes, Kefta and Zucchini Kebabs and Dimply Plum Cake
18 years ago: Double Chocolate Torte and Spicy Soba Noodles with Shiitakes
19 years ago: Moules Frites and 44-Clove Garlic Soup
Well, this looks incredibly delicious! I’ll never be sad about another charred cabbage recipe. Thanks for including oven instructions for those of us whose tiny city apartments don’t have even the smallest balcony space.
yum! wish I had a grill. can I do it without one?
yum! wish I had a grill. can I do it without one? NVM, just saw note
Yes! It’s right there in her post.
Not me with a head of cabbage I need to do something with for dinner. I’m assuming the garlic goes into the dressing mixture as part of the “herbs”?
As a family evenly split between vegetarian and omnivore, that loves to grill and hates the idea of fake meat as the sole alternatives, this looks perfect.
Weird request, could a photo of what the cabbage looks like being chopped up be included? I’m struggling to visualise how to target the beast without ending up with tons of little bits (and coleslaw is not loved enough to use those up!)
And oops, wasn’t meant to hijack your comment by replying 😬
Here is a photo of the cabbage chopped, and here is one of the halloumi chopped. However, you’re looking for chunks more like this from the salt/vinegar cabbage recipe.
To your thoughts about the end of summer: YES AND EVER YES. I found myself in tears one September morning at my farmer’s market, when I kept taking “just one more peach” – and then everyone in line with me started crying too! (This is real; I live in rainy Seattle.). I must weep over the last peaches and tomatoes and corn; grit my teeth through my rage, and then resign myself (thanks in part to you!) to cooking something wonderful with apples and/or butternut squash. But still: ”RAGE, RAGE, against the dying of the light!!”
Anne! How lovely to see your name pop up in this comment section! <3
Made this last night. I don’t have a grill so I planned to broil it as suggested, however when I was threading the skewers even after soaking the halloumi in warm water it fell to pieces. I ended up throwing the cabbage and halloumi loose on a sheet pan and roasted it for 20 mins at 500. I broiled it a bit at the end, and it was delicious. The halloumi got a little dark, so in the future I’d add it maybe 10 mins into the bake time. Definitely making it again.
I had this same issue! The halloumi is basically impossible to thread on a skewer (even at room temp) without breaking to pieces. The flavors of the cheese and cabbage together with the herbs oil are stellar (I also just ended up sheet panning), but what is the magic trick to keep halloumi for falling apart when cutting/skewering?!
I am not new to halloumi (love it) but for one of the first times I can remember it totally did not work for us here. It melted between the cabbage and fell off during grilling, so we were left with just cabbage (which was admittedly delicious with the dressing). Did this happen to anyone else?
I wonder if the halloumi batch was a dud…
Some of mine fell off and i scraped it up off the grill. But it did not thread on the skewer very well. Next time I will go the sheet pan route. Life is too short to be skewering halloumi on sticks! The taste was excellent though.
I made this as a sheet pan bake because no skewers nor grill. 20-30 mins at 450, then finished with a quick broil. It’s freakin amazing, full stop.
My yellow kitchen and I would love a yellow braiser one day. *hint hint*
Thank you for always knowing what veg I have languishing in my fridge (though I promise this time it’s because I haven’t felt like being in the kitchen, not because I don’t want to have cabbage!).
What are mild red pepper flakes? Not the total crushed red pepper used in tomato sauce and such? Dried Jimmy Nardello flakes?
Made this tonight on a charcoal grill with steaks.
We loved the flavor, but the cabbage was too crunchy/dried out for our tastes. I think next time I will make the skewers, wrap in foil and bake for 15 minutes in the oven then unwrap and throw on grill.
Deb, this is not apropos of anything but I gotta just say how much I love you and your writing and your recipes. You’ve been my kitchen guru my recipe angel and my fun witty friend for well nigh 15 years now and I cannot resist clicking on the sk shortcut on my homepage before I do anything else in the morning, because I love the idea of a new missive from you. Thank you for giving us this wonderful version of yourself.
Heat to a high temperature. Very helpful.
/s
I made this last night and really enjoyed the flavors of the marinade on the grilled cabbage. However, it was really difficult to skewer the cabbage pieces, so when I make this in the future, I will just put the marinade on wedges of cabbage and grill the halloumi slices separate.
deb – the story suggests the garlic ends up in the sauce but it’s not in the recipe – can you confirm that’s where it goes? whole? minced? grated like the lemon zest?
This was delicious! I grilled it and it was much quicker than expected. Maybe 10-12 min total but my grill runs very hot. I was worried about the thickness of the cabbage so cut it closer to 1/2 inch. Some of it fell apart when I turned them but it was still outstanding. If you want true cubes, go closer to the 1-2″ size. Will definitely make again.
I tried asking this before rather late after recipe had appeared and got no answers, but will try again. These charred cabbage recipes look intriguing as far as the concept, but the sight of food as burned looking as this just turns me off, no matter how many people swear it tastes great. Has ANYONE experimented at all with a lighter touch and had any luck? Like more of a golden brown? I like these ingredients, so even if the char wasnt as extreme, might it still be pretty good turned down a notch?
You can definitely get a good flavor if you turn it down a bit…you’ll just need some extra time. We’re not great fans of very charred food either. Good luck!
Sounds like you’re the one to be others’ reference point this time! 🙂 Do come back and let us know how you get on.
Nice one! Always on the lookout for interesting veggie grilling recipes that are not just corn and peppers on skewers!
When I got home last night and my husband said “I haven’t made anything for dinner” (he’s retired and makes dinner for us :). Cue the light bulb! I told him that I would make dinner as I had just grabbed some of the ingredients for this recipe that afternoon (I added sausage to the skewers). It turned out fabulous! My husband was skeptical, but loved it. The sauce was incredible and made the dish so special. AA++
I assume the garlic goes into herb sauce? I don’t see it anywhere in the recipe
I had high hopes for this one but I did not like it. Tossed into the trash.
It would be helpful to know why, or what, you didn’t like. Taste? Texture? Just telling us that you tossed it in the trash is not particularly helpful.
This was great! The halloumi was falling apart but I skewered what I could. I think next time I’d maybe cook it on the side or on a griddle instead. But the cabbage was perfectly tender, charred, and the herby sauce was delicious. We’ve been incorporating more meatless meals, and we served this with potato salad (the pickle version from Keepers!) and corn on the cob.
Fab. Yes halloumi was hard to skewer but I doubled up two 1/2 slices. Worked fine. Great in the grill. Sauce makes it. Served with lamb burgers for an outstanding weeknight meal ( made sauce early in day.) But would be great for company too.
This was really great! Definitely will make again. Cheese cracked and was falling off like others, so had to place plancha under it mid-cook. Flavors were outstanding.
This was sooo good. I used bread cheese because it’s cheaper and easier to work with versus halloumi, but otherwise followed the recipe as written. 11/10 would recommend! We served with grilled pork chops.
I really enjoyed these. I made a few modifications based on time/what I had on hand:
– I made them on a sheet pan in the oven
– I didn’t have time to soak skewers so I skipped that part and just tossed everything around.
– I used a mix of Aleppo pepper and red chili flakes
In future I’d either make the halloumi pieces larger or add them later as some of them were too crispy/dry. But I definitely enjoyed the taste!
I assume the garlic is blended with the herbs given the ingredient order. I thought the garlic overpowered the herbs and will cut back next time. It was delicious and I will make again. Using a broiler, I plan on bigger pieces of halloumi next time since it cooks faster than the cabbage.
I love halloumi so I added the ingredients to my grocery list. I admit I had low expectations for this. Surprisingly, we all loved it! Even the teenager who hates cabbage. I served it with grilled sausages and grilled bread slices because I wanted to have a backup option just in case. It was easy and flavorful. We’ll definitely make it again.
This recipe was perfect on the first fall-feeling day. I struggled with my very old halloumi which skewered better, but not great, after a warm soak. I lost some cheese and cabbage to the grill. I heated the grill to about 600•F and cooked for about 10 min total. I really need a skewer rotating tutorial. I used basil and chives for the dressing. My very carnivorous teenager snatched the last serving without any polite inquiries. I used purple cabbage because it is prettier.
This was delicious. I brought it to what we call “porch time” — neighbors having a glass of wine together before we all go home for our dinners. While it was certainly best while warm, straight off the grill, nobody stopped eating it when it was cold!
I used dill and mint, because that’s what I had. My halloumi was quite old, and wouldn’t stay on the skewers — kept cracking and falling off. So I just threw the diced cheese into a dry skillet and then sprinkled the browned bits over the skewers on the plate.
We loved this, and it felt virtuous, too, eating all that cabbage!