Here it is the end of March and in the east we’re still cooking winter. It just keeps on snowing and sleeting and, on a good day, just rains. I am more than tired of it – after all of these years in New York, I’m still a California girl at heart. I love the summer!
Well, so much for complaining, as long as a chill is still in the air, we have to have substantial meals and stuffed cabbage is surely one of those. I think that the grocery store had ordered too much cabbage for St. Pat’s so there were still mounds of it piled in the produce section at a very good price. So, I bit. We had eaten our share of sautéed cabbage throughout the winter so I decided to make it the main course with a big pot of stuffed cabbage on the evening’s menu.
I can’t remember the last time I had made stuffed cabbage – a perennial favorite throughout Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, and the Middle East. Each country has its own version. The filling can be meat- or vegetable and starch-based while the sauce ranges from tomato to sour cream. I have always made a tomato sauce. I use either regular cabbage or Savoy – not red but only because it looks yucky in the tomato base. You can truly make the recipe your own by incorporating favorite herbs – dill is good -and differing mixtures of ground meats and grains. For this recipe I stuck to my original using ground sirloin and long grain rice. I added some mushrooms to the sauce only because I had them on hand and thought they would make a nice addition. And, by the by, the filling and sauce are perfectly companionable to stuffed bell peppers, eggplant, or squash.
12 large green cabbage leaves
1 pound ground sirloin
1 cup cooked long grain rice
3 cups canned diced tomatoes in puree
1 cup beef stock or low-sodium, nonfat beef broth
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or more to taste
1½ cups minced onion
1 large egg
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Make a large bowl of ice water. Set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Working with one at a time, place the cabbage leaves in the boiling water for about 1 minute or until just barely softened. Immediately, dip the softened leaf into the ice water to stop the cooking.
Drain well and pat dry.
When all of the leaves have been blanched and dried, set them aside. (If the main vein at the core end of the leaf is very thick, you can pare it down slightly with a paring knife. Don’t get over-zealous as the leaf has to be sturdy enough to hold the filling).
Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
Combine the tomatoes, beef stock, light brown sugar, and vinegar in a large Dutch oven. Stir in 1 cup of the onions and place over medium heat and bring to a low simmer. (Here you can add sliced fresh mushrooms or rehydrated dried).
While the sauce is coming to a simmer, combine the meat and rice with ½ cup of the onions in a mixing bowl. Add the egg, parsley, garlic, tomato paste, and salt and pepper. Using your hands, gently squish the mixture together until well-combined without mushing the rice.
When blended, working with one leaf at a time, place a portion near the core end of each cabbage leaf. Fold in each side of the leaf to almost cover the filling. Fold the stem end over and continue to roll to completely enclose the filling. Using a toothpick, close the roll together at the end by weaving the toothpick in and out to hold the leaf tightly around the filling.
Carefully place the cabbage rolls into the simmering sauce. When all of the rolls have been added, cover and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the filling is done and the leaves are very tender.
Serve hot with extra rice, if desired
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