Cabbage Rolls
This recipe, adapted from Cabbage and Kimchi Rolls from Hetty Sui McKennon’s Tenderheart, is a departure from my norm for two reasons. One is that most of the recipes you’ll find here at Sly Rooster would be classified as “quick and easy.” This recipe has a bunch of steps and takes a little time. With that said, none of the steps are complicated and the time isn’t extensive, so please don’t be scared away. It’s a fun hour spent on the weekend, even better if you buddy up. And there are many short cuts that you can incorporate to skip a couple of steps…leftover rice, pre-cooked lentils, jarred tomato sauce.
The second reason why this recipe isn’t typical for my repertoire is that it has more of an Eastern European slant and I find that many of my dishes have Asian leanings. Ironically, the original recipe in Tenderheart gives the option of using sauerkraut or kimchi in the vegetarian filling and despite having both in my fridge, I went with the former. So, there is certainly a way to give these Cabbage Rolls an Asian spin.
Now onto what really matters, these Cabbage Rolls are delicious! They are vegetarian (the cabbage rolls that I grew up with are stuffed with ground beef), healthy, substantial, and a complete meal unto themselves. They are also fun to eat in the same way that it’s fun to dig into a little package that arrives on your doorstep. So please, give these Cabbage Rolls a try. Enjoy!
Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 c medium-grain, long-grain or Arborio rice, rinsed three times I used Arborio
- 1/2 c black lentils, rinsed I used brown lentils
- 1 lg head green or Savoy cabbage I used Savoy
- salt and black pepper
- olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 c kimchi or sauerkraut, chopped
- 1/4 c apple cider vinegar or white vinegar I used apple cider
- handful of chopped dill
Tomato Sauce
- olive oil
- 2 Tbls butter
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp sugar
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place rinsed rice and lentils in a saucepan and top with 3 cups of water. Cover with a lid and place over medium-high heat. When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 18-20 minutes, until the rice is tender. Remove the lid, don't stir, take off the heat and set aside to cool.
- Find a deep saucepan that will fit your entire cabbage, with some room to spare. Fill this pan with water until it's three-quarters full. Bring to a boil.
- Fill a large bowl with cold water and add a few ice cubes. Turn the cabbage upside down and run a sharp knife around the core, then carefully shimmy it out and discard (I couldn't get my core out but by cutting around it, the process worked as well. Later on, I discarded the core).
- When the water is boiling, add 2-3 teaspoons of salt and place the entire cabbage in the water, root-side up. Using tongs, submerge the cabbage and hold it there to keep it submerged. After 30-60 seconds, the outer leaves will begin to fall away. Remove them from the boiling water and place in the ice bath. Continue cooking until you have 12 leaves. Remove the remaining inner cabbage heart from the pan, (discard the core if you weren't able to earlier), finely chop the cabbage heart and set aside. Drain the cabbage leaves and allow to dry out.
- Prepare the filling. Heat a large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, along with the onion and cook for 2 minutes until softened. Add the kimchi or sauerkraut (along with any juices) and the chopped cabbage and stir for 8-10 minutes, until the cabbage is completely wilted and sweet. Turn off the heat and add the rice and lentils, vinegar, 1-2 teaspoons of salt and season well with black pepper. Fold everything together and taste again, adjusting the seasonings as needed. Set aside.
- To make the tomato sauce, heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, along with the butter. When the butter is melted, add the garlic and stir to soften, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, along with 1 cup of water, sugar, and about 1 teaspoon of salt. Season with black pepper and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover with lid and allow to simmer gently while you make the cabbage rolls.
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Remove the tough middle vein from each cabbage leaf by laying them on a flat surface and cutting a V-shaped notch to remove the thick part of the cabbage rib (but don't cut more than a third of the way into the leaf).
- Working with one leaf at a time, with the uncut side closest to you, place 1/3 cup of filling in the center of the leaf. Fold the sides of the leaf tightly over the filling, then roll it up. Place it, seam-side down, on a large plate and repeat with the remaining leaves and filling.
- Nestle the stuffed cabbage rolls, seam-side down, in a single layer in the tomato sauce. Sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with oil. Cover with a lid (or foil) then place in to oven and cook for 15 minutes. After this time, remove the lid and increase the temperature to 450F. Cook for another 10 minutes, until the tops of the cabbage rolls have some golden color.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes, before topping with dill and serving.