Another Re-Try and a challenge
I seem to have some kind of 'extreme sport' attitude when it comes to cooking. It's an odd thing. I think that it comes from fundamentally being a minimalist. I don't get huge satisfaction from having cupboards stuffed (unless I've canned it myself). That fact, combined with my broke situation (until my first pay cheque of course) means that cooking has become a challenge.
I like a challenge. It's take a mundane occasion and raises it beyond itself. Something that I can win - that's the best (unless I'm talking to my kids and then it's 'winning isn't everything' - they still believe it but who are we kidding). So here is my challenge. The stores are closed today because it's a holiday and to be frank I don't feel like hauling my ass out to a store anyway. I have to feed us this week. I have some italian sausage in the fridge. I am not getting a food box this week because monday is my delivery day, it's a holiday and the alternate delivery day sucks for me. No fresh veggies. I have a cabbage. It's really decided isn't it?
However, I was able to put a meal together (with plenty of leftovers) without exiting my house and purchasing something additional. Could this recipe do with some more veggies? Say, diced peppers, zucchini maybe even some spinach or something else green? For Sure. I made do with what I had and it will pretty much get us through the week (I've got some potato to make some chips if I'm in a pinch). I rose to the challenge AND the result was really dope tasty. Immense.
serve 6 - 8
1 small cabbage
5 small italian sausage (I used hot), casings removed
1/2 onion, diced small
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups of rice
1 bouillion cube
2 tbsp honey
salt, to taste
handful of fresh chives and parsley, coarsely chopped
2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp smoked paprika
dash of pepper sauce
Tomato Sauce
1 large can of tomatoes (can be crushed or diced)
3 - 4 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp honey
salt to taste
dash of pepper sauce (optional)
3/4 cup shredded cheese
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large pot of water, boil the cabbage whole after cutting out the heart. The leaves will come away from the cabbage easily. Boil for about 5 minutes or until the leaves are pliable. Once boiled, set aside in a sieve. Using some of the boiling cabbage water, cook the rice until just slightly under cooked. Once cooked, drain if needed and set aside.
In a large heated pot, add some oil for frying and then add the onion and any additional cabbage bits that were not big enough to be used as rolls. Over medium to low heat, fry the vegetables until wilted and sweaty. Add in the sausage, you might want to chop them up a bit first. You could also use any other minced meat here. Once the sausage has cooked and is in small pieces, turn the heat down and add in the spices. Check the tastes and then add in the cooked rice.
In a large baking dish begin to place each leaf of cabbage that has been rolled with the rice mixture in it. I use a little method: Fold in the sides and then roll the rest - whatever works for you. Feel free to squeeze and tuck them in.
Tomato Sauce:
I used diced tomatoes but ran them through a food mill. You could use a simple passata or crushed tomato though which would be easier. I heated the tomato just a bit and added in the tomato paste, honey, Worcestershire and spices. Add in the salt last just to make sure it doesn't get over salted. Pour the sauce over the tucked in cabbage rolls.
Top with the shredded cheese and bake for about 20 min.
I timed this just to see how long the assembly would take. I took me 45 minutes to put the dish together beginning to baking.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
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.
FBC Member
2 comments:
Oh, these cabbage rolls look so good and I love cabbage rolls. Usually I make the 'poor man's' cabbage rolls as it takes less time. I remember my Aunt's cabbage rolls that she used to make and they always tasted so good, however she used hamburg for hers.
Sausage will give it a different flavour. I must give these a try. Will let you know how mine turn out.
It was tasty. Necessity (and desperation) are the mother of invention after all. Doing the cabbage in a pot and then separating the leaves was actually pretty easy at the end of the day.
Let me know how they turn out if you do give them a try.
Post a Comment