Stuffed Cabbage Leaves

I thought that I was late (I am often late nowadays on publishing on the blog) for publishing this new stuffed cabbage leaf recipe. I was seeing Spring on the calendar and I thought this recipe was not really getting along with the new season. But that was without knowing that the snow would come back again and made its way to Paris this weekend. So before we change completely the color palette (even if winter is also great in terms of colors, check my Instagram account if you have some doubts), we leave hearty recipes for lighter recipes, here’s a simple one so easy to prepare but with high-quality ingredients. I had been thinking for a long time about green cabbage when I was seeing them standing on the shelves of my veggie vendor but I didn’t know what to cook them with. This recipe is quite classic in a way but delicious. For the most vegans of you, you can replace the meat by a veggie burger for example but bear in mind that the principle is to cook this dish for a long time on low heat in order for the veggie and meat juices to mix and soften the cabbage leaves. Without meat, you will have to add for example onions and different spices to add flavors to this traditional dish. The veggie broth will do the trick with the rest of the ingredients. One important technical detail: you will have to remove the central rib of each cabbage leaf in order to easily prepare each cabbage roll. Those central ribs are not so easy to chew on and digest so you better get read of them. Do not pick a too small cabbage. Indeed, the leaves on the outside are often too thick to be rolled and folded and the ones close to the cabbage heart are often too small. You can keep the soft central leaves for a veggie soup so you do not throw anything away.Ingredients

  • a large green cabbage (only keep the central leaves for this recipe / take away the larger part of each leaf central white rib with a knife); Set aside
  • 300g of a pre-made by my butcher fresh stuffing mix (sausage meat, onions and parsley)
  • 1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
  • 2 gluten-free bread slices
  • 10 carrots, peeled and diced thinly
  • 1 white wine glass
  • 1 cup or bowl non dairy milk
  • 20 dl veggie broth
  • 1 organic egg yolk
  • some Guérande salt
  • some pepper
  • 1 tbsp organic butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • some roast string
  • 1 large handful chopped parsley

Recipe

  1. Bring salted water to a boil
  2. Blanch each cabbage leaf in the boiling water (approx. two to three minutes); Drain and set aside
  3. Soak the bread in the non dairy milk
  4. In a bowl, mix the stuffing, the drained bread, the egg yolk, the chopped parsley and season to taste
  5. Place the first cabbage leaf facing you with the base of the leaf at the bottom. Place about a tbsp of stuffing at the bottom of the leaf (if you put too much, you will not be able to fold the leaf). Fold the sides on the stuffing so you get a sort of cylinder shape then roll the whole leaf like a spring roll. Once the roll is done, secure it with some roast string (like a small gift with a knot in the center); Set aside
  6. In a large steel pan, brown the butter, the olive oil and the onions
  7. Place the cabbage leaves in the pan and add the carrots.
  8. On high heat, brown the cabbage rolls but be sure they do not burn so flip them often, then lower the heat and add the broth as well as the white wine
  9. Leave it to simmer for approx. one hour and check regularly the stuffed leaves by drizzling them with the veggie and meat juices. If you lack juices in the pan, add some more broth (one glass to start with, then another one if needed)
  10. Remove the string before serving