cabbage rolls-- I swear there was recently a thread about them...

[mike_c]

...in here somewhere, but damned if I can find it. :shrug:

Anyway, the house is fragrant with the smell of baking cabbage rolls right now. I was at the market yesterday and they had ground lamb-- my first thought was "MOUSAKA!" but my common sense kicked in immediately. I mean, I live alone and occasionally I'm willing to spend several hours in the kitchen cooking myself a blockbuster meal, but not that often. Anyone want dinner at my house? PM me if you're in Northern California, bring a bottle of wine, and we'll party, otherwise mousaka is not the sort of dish I typically cook for myself. But ground lamb isn't that common at my local market unless you special request it, so my second thought was stuffed cabbage rolls.

Quantities are very approximate.

Meat filling:

1 lb ground lamb
1 lb lean ground beef
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 med Vadalia onion, chopped fine (sigh, only three Vidalias left)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups cooked rice
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp Worchestershire sauce

Mix all the filling ingredients well. I divided and froze about 3/4 of it for later.

Core a cabbage and carefully separate the outermost, big leaves-- a few rips and tears are not a problem. I got about half the cabbage leaves off. Small torn pieces can be used to line the pan. Put the cabbage leaves into boiling water for a couple of minutes until they turn bright green, then drain and run cold water over them so you can handle them. Put a few tbsp of the meat mixture into each cabbage leaf and roll like an egg roll (fold the bottom edge up, fold in the sides, then roll up). Lay in a single layer in a covered casserole, on top of a layer of cabbage pieces. I made six rolls. No, I'm NOT going to eat them all tonight!


Sauce:

1 can Rotel diced tomatoes and chilis (one of the most useful wonder ingredients on earth, IMO)
1/4 cup tomato ketchup
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
a few tbsp of chicken stock

Pour the sauce over the cabbage rolls. Cover and bake at 350F for two hours.

It smells marvelous. It won't be ready for another hour or so.

[Duer 157099]

1. Hell ya, I'm in Northern California

And I'm usually only cooking for me and my son (who usually doesn't appreciate what I cook).

And I LOVE cabbage rolls. But, I've already eaten, pizza (homemade and pretty good).

[mike_c]

2. they were really good....

...and I have dinner for tomorrow night in the bag, too.

on edit-- I'm up in Humboldt Co-- if ya'll are ever up here, I'd be happy to have you over for dinner.

[Duer 157099]

3. I'm going to try that recipe

I'm in Sonoma, haven't ever made it up as far as Humboldt yet.

Nice to know there's DUers around these parts. There's a few of us that I know of so far who hang out in this cooking group who are somewhat local. I'm thinking pot luck some time... :)

[murphymom]

4. Sounds delicious

Cabbage rolls are one of my all-time favorite comfort foods - I remember them from my childhood when my Polish grandma made them. I got a cabbage in our CSA share a couple of weeks ago so I made a big batch recently myself. After coring the cabbage I put it in a big pot of simmering water and pull the leaves off as they soften. It's a little tricky handling the cabbage in the hot water, but it's a lot easier to get the leaves off without tearing them. I can get way down to the bitty leaves that are too small to stuff. Last batch I made about a dozen rolls then chopped up the remaining cabbage center and stuck it in the end of the baking pan. I make mine with all ground beef, but I think my grandma made hers with a combination of ground beef and ground pork. I'll have to try your lamb variation sometime.

[u4ic]

7. I used to do it that way

(in the hot water) till I got a tip to core the cabbage at the bottom, then freeze it.

Once you thaw it out, it will be wilted perfectly, leaves easy to tear off and away you go!

[The empressof all]

5. Here's the link to traditional Ukranian Stuffed Cabbage

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=236&topic_id=3816



This is the way my grand mother made them too.

[troubleinwinter]

6. When I am lucky enough to find ground lamb

I like to make Greek Dolmas... stuffed grape leaves (brined in a jar). I have a jar of leaves in the pantry, just in case I come across some lamb! They are delicious served room temp in summer as an appetizer or light supper, with a dipping sauce of plain yogurt, mint, garlic and lemon. Oh, man! I am on the hunt for some lamb, now!