Food : Cabbage Rolls

Lahanodolmades, Töltött káposzta , Szárma, Balandėliai , Halubcy , Golubtsy ,Gołąbki, Holubtsi , Kāpostu tīteņi , Holubky , Holishkes , Prakas , Krouv Memula , Kåldolmar, Kaalikääryle , Kapsarull, Japrak , Sarma, Сарма , Japrak , Јапрак , Punjeni kupus , Arambašići, Сарми, Sarmale , Lahana dolması, sarması, Kələm dolması, Kaghambi tolma (կաղամբի տոլմա) , Tolma (ტოლმა), Dolmeye Kalam , Malfoof mahshi (محشي ملفوف) Mahashi Malfoof (محاشي ملفوف) ,Mahshi kuronb (محشي كرنب) Kohlroulade , Krautwickel ,Cigares au chou , Involtini di cavolo , Capuns – Graubunden, , Capunet , Bragioli , Niños Envueltos Charuto de Repolho, Aluske – Paraná, Bai Cai Juan (白菜卷) , Rōru kyabetsu (ロールキャベツ) , Cải bắp cuốn.

I love how ubiquitous this dish is. Just not so common here in the godless burger obsessed “west” . Cabbage rolls are made all through the former Ottoman Empire , Russia, Poland, Ukraine, the Austro-Germanic-Hungarian region, the Nordic nations , the Middle East , China, Japan, Vietnam, South America, and Italy .

Any dish with this sort of geographical and cultural spread will have a lot of variation. All are united by a minced filling of some sort wrapped in cabbage leaves and steamed. From the pork filling favoured in parts of Europe , via the veal or beef fillings of Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, the mushrooms and pork blend of Asia, to the Lenten Eastern Orthodox filling of minced walnuts. Below is my version using pork, fennel and cumin but really the filling and it’s spicing is up to you and your tastes. There are no wrong answers.

Ingredients

• 1 large head of cabbage
• Splash of oil
• 2 onions diced fine
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1kg pork mince
• 1/2 cup dry volume rice cooked (I cook it in stock instead of water)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoon Fennel seed bruised in the mortar and pestle
• 2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 tin of tomatoes
• 2 cups chicken or veg stock
• Sour cream to serve

Method

Bring a stock pot of salted water to a boil . Cut the stalk end out of the cabbage at it’s base. Add the whole cabbage to the boiling water. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the cabbage.

Remove the cabbage from the water and let drain until it is cool enough to handle. Pull off as many large, unbroken leaves as you can and place on a plate. If the inner leaves haven’t softened, return them to the simmering water to cook a little longer.

Slice and dice the inner core of the cabbage that won’t make good wrappers

Heat oil in a frying pan , add onion and sauté , add a little salt to prevent browning , then add a handfull of the diced cabbage fry till softened. Add garlic for the last minute of cooking.

In a large bowl, combine pork, cooked rice, egg, fennel, the cooked onions / cabbage / garlic, salt, and lots of black pepper. Mix with your clean hands or a wooden spoon until just combined.

Take each leaf of cabbage and slice out the hard stalk end in a little arrow shaped cut.

Working one at a time, place a couple tablespoons of the pork stuffing in the center of a blanched cabbage leaf. Fold into a tight bundle like you are making a burrito.

Repeat till your filling runs out.

Cover the bottom of a casserole or dutch oven with the remaining diced cabbage

Layer the cabbage rolls up using the cabbage as a trivet

Pour in the stock , it shouldn’t cover the rolls but rather sit down around the diced cabbage. You want the stock to steam the rolls rather than boil them.

Cook in a medium over for an hour and a half .

Once cooked remove the rolls from the casserole and reserve somewhere warm, add the tin of tomatoes and cumin and season to taste. Either return dutch oven to the oven or put it over a hot element to reduce the sauce a little.