Here is a recipe for stuffed cabbage in the great tradition of local dishes. Although cabbage can be frightening, here it gives way to a thousand other flavors, and is finally very discreet. Preparing this dish is much easier than it seems at first glance: you just need to know the right tips. Needless to say, this comforting dish, known in all northern countries under multiple variations, is a great classic of the end of winter, when few vegetables are still available on the markets and in the pantries.
Tasty and ultimately light rolls
Usually, when we think of stuffed vegetables in winter, a certain heaviness comes over us. Is there a sausage under the rock? Of course there is. But there is actually not much of it, considering that this kind of dish is usually prepared for 6 people. In Poland, it is also customary to add to the stuffing some leftover cooked rice, which contributes to lighten the whole, and to serve it with a spicy tomato sauce. This was my favorite part of this dish as a child: I used to try to drown the cabbage leaves in tons of sauce to mask the taste. Today, I find that it stands on its own. I simply serve it with some boiled potatoes.
Ingredients
- 1 large green or white cabbage
- 250 g herbed sausage meat
- 200 g ground beef
- 200 g ground veal
- 3 slices of stale bread
- 200 ml milk
- 1 egg
- 1 onion
- 1 teaspoon strong mustard
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 500 ml beef broth
Instructions
- Boil a large pot of salted water that can hold the whole cabbage
- Core the cabbage in the middle, cutting the core into a cone with a large, sharp knife. Plunge into water and cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cabbage leaves pull apart with a fork.
- Remove the cabbage leaves as you go and lay them on a clean cloth to drain.
- Meanwhile, soak the bread in the milk. Chop the onion and mix it with the meats. If the mass does not seem homogeneous enough, mix the whole: bread, meats, onion.
- Add to the mixture the well-wrung bread, mustard, 1 egg and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add salt and pepper and mix well.
- Place some of the stuffing in the cooked cabbage leaf, and roll it up in a second leaf so that the stuffing is well inside.
- Place the rolls tightly together in an ovenproof dish. Pour the broth and sprinkle with a spoonful of olive oil. Cover the dish and put it in the oven for 45 minutes at 180°.
