Col Puntiaguda Adobado a la plancha

I ate this grilled marinated hispy cabbage at Pizarro in London. The flavours were sensational. The chef Jose Pizarro has a series of cookbooks but he hasn't published this recipe, not yet anyway, so this is my attempt at recreating the dish.

Ingredients
serves 2

1 large hispi cabbage
small bunch of chives, finely chopped

for the adobo marinade
8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
4 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp sweet smoked paprika (Spanish pimentón de la Vera)
good pinch of ground cumin
pinch of sea salt, to taste

for the Mojo Rojo  
1 jar of drained roasted piquillo peppers
1 garlic clove
1 tsp cumin seeds (toasted)
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
pinch of salt.

for the coriander pesto
30g fresh coriander
10g fried salted almonds
splash of lime juice
splash of olive oil

Method

Whisk the adobo marinade ingredients together. Cut 1 head of hispi cabbage into quarters lengthways (keep the core intact so the leaves hold together). Rub the adobo generously all over the wedges, ensuring it gets between the layers. Set aside to marinade for a while. 

In the meantime, blitz all the mojo rojo ingredients in a food processor until smooth but slightly textured. Adjust the vinegar and salt to taste. Set aside.

In another pot pulse together the coriander and the salted almonds with olive oil and a dash of lime juice until a rustic pesto forms. Also set aside. 

Sear the cabbage cut-side down in a smoking hot cast-iron griddle pan for 4–5 minutes until deeply charred and blackened. Transfer to a 200°C (180°C fan) oven and roast for 25–30 minutes until tender.

To serve, spoon a generous puddle of the mojo rojo across a serving plate. Lay the hot, deeply charred hispi cabbage wedges on top. Drizzle with any remaining spiced pan juices. Drizzle further with more mojo rojo and coriander pesto and scatter with the chopped chives.