HOWEVER IT'S stuffed, every good cabbage roll begins with a tender, well-shaped leaf that's been trimmed and pre-cooked.
Start with a well-formed medium to large cabbage. To remove the leaves from the head without damaging them, turn the head upside down and insert a sharp knife at the rim of the core. Cut around the core, angling the blade so that the tip of the knife points toward the centre of the cabbage as you cut.
To loosen the core, hold the cabbage, core end down, in both hands, and rap it sharply once or twice on a hard surface, such as the edge of a chopping board or countertop. Discard the core.
Now peel off the half-dozen or so best-looking outer leaves, taking care to avoid tearing them. Rinse the leaves well and drain. Use the remainder of the cabbage for cole slaw or for other purposes.
Trimming the tough ribs from the leaves will
help them cook quickly and roll easily. Working
with one leaf at a time, use a sharp paring knife to remove the thick portion of the centre rib. Now
you're ready to pre-cook the leaves, using one
of the following methods:
Blanch the leaves in rapidly boiling salted water until they are slightly softened but still retain their bright colour (about 2 to 3 minutes). Steam the leaves by laying them in a large, deep frying pan and adding enough boiling water to cover the bottom of the pan. Cover and steam just until the leaves are wilted (about 2 to 3 minutes).
Microwave the leaves in a microwave-safe dish at 100 per cent power for about
2 minutes. If the leaves are not yet wilted, remove the dish from the microwave oven, cover it, and let the leaves stand until barely softened.
However you pre-cook the leaves, be sure to drain them well and allow them to cool slightly before stuffing and rolling them.
SUCCESS TIP
When filling cabbage rolls, spoon no more than 1/4 to 1/3 cup stuffing mixture onto the bottom portion of each leaf; overstuffed leaves will burst as they cook. Roll the leaf up partway, then fold the sides in over the stuffing as you continue rolling to the top end of the leaf. Place the roll seam side down in the cooking container.
Stuffed with ground ham and pork, these savoury rolls are first browned and then braised to tenderness. Steamed rice is a traditional accompaniment.
Bohemian Cabbage Rolls
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup soft bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. each ground allspice,
dill weed and white pepper
2 cups ground ham
1/2 lb. ground lean pork
6 large green or red cabbage
leaves, trimmed, pre-cooked
and drained
Paprika and flour
2 tbsps. butter or olive oil
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
1 medium tomato, peeled and
chopped, or 1/2 cup canned
chopped tomatoes
1 medium onion, finely
chopped
1/2 cup each dry white wine
and tomato juice
Sour cream and chopped
parsley, for garnish
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 375 ºF. To prepare stuffing, beat egg with milk; mix in bread crumbs, salt, allspice, dill weed and pepper, then lightly combine with ground meats (see below for Food Processor Version)
2. Divide stuffing among the 6 prepared leaves, placing it near the bottom of the leaf. For each cabbage roll, fold in the sides and roll up loosely; secure with wooden toothpicks, if desired. Sprinkle rolls lightly with
paprika, then coat with flour.
3. In a large frying pan, heat butter or olive oil until nearly smoking. Brown rolls lightly on all sides; transfer to a 3-quart casserole. Spoon carrot and tomato over the rolls.
4. In the same pan, sauté onion until it just begins to brown; add wine and tomato juice. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Pour over rolls.
5. Bake, covered, for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 15 minutes more. Remove toothpicks, if used. Serve, garnished with sour cream and parsley.
Serves 6.
FOOD PROCESSOR VERSION
To grind the pork for the stuffing, cut the meats into 1-inch pieces. Using a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse the motor about 10 times to chop the meats uniformly. Add egg, milk, bread crumbs, salt and spices. Process 5 seconds to combine.
