(recipe from the book Local Flavors used with permission of the author, Deborah Madison)
Serves 4
This tender mess of pale green ribbons flecked with yellow lemon zest is the kind of dish I’d make a meal of with some egg noodles thrown in. But it also makes a delicious bed for monkfish, cod, or wild salmon.
½ small Savoy or other green cabbage
1 large fennel bulb, quartered
1 large leek, white part only
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
juice and zest of 1 Meyer lemon 3 tablespoons chervil or parsley leaves
- Cut the cabbage, fennel, and leek into very thin slices and wash. Don’t dry, though.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large, wide skillet. Add the vegetables and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Cover the pan and cook gently for 10 minutes. Check after 5 minutes and make sure there’s a little moisture so that the
vegetables steam and don’t brown. Meanwhile, simmer the lemon juice in a
small skillet until only 1 tablespoon remains. Remove from the heat and whisk in
the remaining butter. - Finely chop the lemon zest with the chervil. Stir half into the butter and add the other half to the vegetables. Toss well, taste for salt, and season with
pepper.