Cabbage Rolls
This is what you call Wingin' It. In a big way. I went totally free-hand on this one. I would say that it was almost a complete success but I am changing my recipe just a little bit and I'll write out the changes instead of giving you what I actually did (hmmm, I'm not sure if that sentence made any sense at all).
Who doesn't love Cabbage Rolls? I remember my Mom making them a couple of times. I remember eating them at a church supper here and there. Other than that, I really can't remember having them BUT I can still tell you that I like them and they are great!
I decided that I could pretty much figure this thing out so I didn't consult a recipe book here. I changed things up a little bit (I was going to go complete herbivore but I thought that just in case these things sucked completely that without some meat in them they would never get eaten - so in went some meat). I was going to go with a wet, cheesy kind of filling but then changed my mind about that too. I went with some nuts and seeds instead. AND I added my beloved smoked paprika just for fun - which I gotta tell ya, changed things completely! My big mistakes (and trust me there were many mistakes) were, 1) The cabbage itself (I ordered Savoy Cabbage instead of Napa - I should have looked it up, I know!), 2) The short time that I boiled the Cabbage (I did about 6 minutes and I should have done a little more - about 10) and 3) I should have seasoned the tomato sauce a little more. You, my Peeps, will get the new and improved (although not completely tested ;-) version.
In any case, the Cabbage looks really pretty once it's boiled. The filling turned out well AND everybody ate it (thank God!).
Cabbage Rolls
serves about 6
16 Cabbage leaves
salt
Filling
3 cups of cooked rice
1 lb. minced meat (whatever you choose)
1 onion, diced small
1 rib of celery, diced
1 pepper, diced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 cup of walnuts
1/2 cup of sunflower seeds
1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire
1 tbsp Marjoram
1 tbsp Smoked Paprika
2 tsp salt
dash of pepper sauce
700 ml (or so) of Passata (any tomato sauce will do)
dash of Worcestershire
dash of salt and sugar
In a large pot of boiling water, add some salt and the cabbage leaves (I cut the big root bottom off of the cabbage and the leaves pried off really easily after that). Boil for about 10 minutes and then drain.
In a large, heated dutch oven, add a little oil or butter and then add the diced veggies. Saute for about 5 minutes, until onions are clear. Add the minced meat and the garlic and saute until the meat is cooked through. Add the nuts and seeds and cook together for about 3 minutes. Season with the Worcestershire Sauce and add in the spices - marjoram, smoked paprika and salt (pepper sauce too if you are so inclined). Do a taste check and season accordingly.
In a bowl mix together the tomato sauce and the seasonings and set aside.
Preheat oven to about 375 degrees F. Get a large baking dish ready.
Taking a cabbage leaf open it with the edges lifting up. Fill with about 3/4 of a cup of filling and fold in the direction that the leaf is already going in. Do make sure to fold in the sides. Bottom up first, then the sides and then roll the whole thing over again. Place it in the baking sheets, crease down. Nestle each one in the baking dish until all the leaves are used up.
Pour the tomato sauce over the whole thing (I also sprinkled a little parmesan over the lot of it) and bake for about 35 minutes or until bubbly and 'done' looking.
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About Me
- Wanda Thorne
- St Michael's Choir School is celebrating it's 75th anniversary year of service to St Michael's Cathedral. Part of the school celebration is a trip to Italy where our boys from Grades 5 - 12 will be performing and celebrating Mass. This blog will be chronicling our adventures. Wanda Thorne is the Vocal Coach at St Michael's Choir School. Gerard Lewis is the Grade 7/8 Homeroom teacher at the Choir School.
About Me
- Wanda Thorne
- St Michael's Choir School is celebrating it's 75th anniversary year of service to St Michael's Cathedral. Part of the school celebration is a trip to Italy where our boys from Grades 5 - 12 will be performing and celebrating Mass. This blog will be chronicling our adventures. Wanda Thorne is the Vocal Coach at St Michael's Choir School. Gerard Lewis is the Grade 7/8 Homeroom teacher at the Choir School.
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