Lamb And Rice Stuffed Cabbage Recipes

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt it. Add the cabbage leaves to the boiling water a few at a time and cook for 30 seconds to one minute, or until they're just pliable. Carefully remove the leaves from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer to a colander; rinse with cold water. Repeat with the remaining leaves. Gently squeeze the leaves to remove most of the excess water, leaving them just damp enough so they will stick together when rolled.
• Put 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat; when hot, add half the chopped onion and one tablespoon of the garlic, along with the carrot and the parsnip, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl along with the lamb and rice. Mix until just combined.
• Wipe the pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and turn the heat to medium-high. When the oil is hot, add the remaining onion and garlic and cook until soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, red pepper and a good sprinkling of salt; cook over medium-low heat while you prepare the cabbage leaves.
• Cut the cabbage leaves in half by running a sharp knife along each side of the stem, removing the stem in the process; trim the top and bottom so you're left with a large rectangle. Lay a leaf on a work surface with the wide edge facing you. Put a couple tablespoons of the meat mixture in the middle of the leaf, fold in the two sides of the leaf and roll it up as you would a burrito. Repeat with the remaining leaves and filling.
• Add the cabbage rolls, seam side down, to the pot of sauce. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring the sauce occasionally and adding a tablespoon or two of water if the sauce becomes too thick, until the meat and rice are both fully cooked (cut into a roll to check; the rice should be tender and the meat no longer pink), 30 to 45 minutes. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large, deep pot of water to a boil. Season with salt. Mix together onion, lamb, rice, pine nuts, currants, cinnamon, herbs, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cover; refrigerate about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, using a paring knife, cut out and discard core of cabbage. Plunge cabbage, top-side down, into pot of boiling water. (Use a pair of tongs to keep it fully submerged.) As leaves separate from head and become pliable, remove them and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet, 6 minutes total. Let stand until cool enough to handle, 15 minutes.
• Stir together tomato sauce, lemon juice, sugar, and 1/4 cup water. Season with salt and pepper. Line a 9-by-13- inch baking dish with large cabbage leaves; spread with half of tomato mixture. Working with one remaining leaf at a time, lay flat on a work surface; with a knife held horizontally, cutting away from you, shave center rib flush with leaf. Place about 1/4 cup lamb mixture in center. Fold stem end over filling, then tuck in sides and roll to enclose. Repeat with remaining leaves (using less filling as leaves get smaller). Fit rolls snugly in dish in a single layer, seam-sides down, and top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with garlic, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with oil. Cover; bake 30 minutes. Spoon juices over rolls, return to oven, and bake, covered, until leaves are tender and easily cut with a knife, 55 to 65 minutes more; serve.

Steps:

• For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onions, and cook over medium-low heat for 8 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, brown sugar, raisins, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Remove the entire core of the cabbage with a paring knife. Immerse the head of cabbage in the boiling water for a few minutes, peeling off each leaf with tongs as soon as it s flexible. Set the leaves aside. Depending on the size of each leaf, you will need at least 14 leaves.
• For the filling, in a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, eggs, onion, breadcrumbs, rice, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add 1 cup of the sauce to the meat mixture and mix lightly with a fork.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• To assemble, place 1 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a large Dutch oven. Remove the hard triangular rib from the base of each cabbage leaf with a small paring knife. Place 1/3 to 1/2 cup of filling in an oval shape near the rib edge of each leaf and roll up toward the outer edge, tucking the sides in as you roll. Place half the cabbage rolls, seam sides down, over the sauce. Add more sauce and more cabbage rolls alternately until you ve placed all the cabbage rolls in the pot. Pour the remaining sauce over the cabbage rolls. Cover the dish tightly with the lid and bake for 1 hour or until the meat is cooked and the rice is tender. Serve hot.

Steps:

• For the cabbage rolls: Core the head of cabbage and boil in salted water until soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer to an ice-cold bowl of water to stop cooking. Remove from ice water, separate the green leaves and set aside for the rolls. Thinly slice the remaining cabbage and set aside for the sauce.
• In a large bowl, combine the minced lamb, onion, breadcrumbs, egg, cilantro, ginger, chile pepper, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix well, season, cover, and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Remove any thick veins from the cabbage leaves with a sharp knife. Place 1 cabbage leaf on a cutting board, add 2 tablespoons of the filling, fold sides, and roll up. Hold the loose end of the leaf with small bamboo sticks if necessary. Repeat with other leaves. Transfer the stuffed rolls into a 13 by 9-inch oven-safe dish. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
• For the sauce: In a saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add onions and reserved sliced cabbage and saute until caramelized, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, continue to cook for a minute over low heat. Add the tomatoes and veal stock. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes.
• Pour the sauce over the cabbage rolls and cook in the oven for 50 minutes.
• For serving: Plate 2 cabbage rolls per person, and a ladle of sauce. Garnish with crumbled feta. Serve with the roasted potatoes and chive sour cream.

Steps:

• Using a paring knife, remove center core of cabbage. In a large nonreactive stockpot, bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Add cabbage and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until outer leaves are bright green and tender. Lift cabbage from water, and remove outer leaves. Return cabbage to boiling water, and repeat brief cooking and removal of leaves until all leaves are cooked. Reserve 2 cups cabbage cooking water. Trim thick center vein from bottom of each leaf. Reserve four large outer leaves to line bottom of pan.
• In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook until golden and tender, about 8 minutes. In a large bowl, combine onion mixture, rice, beef, pork, salt, pepper, parsley flakes, green pepper, and celery. Stir to combine.
• Add about 1/3 cup rice filling to one cabbage leaf. Fold sides of cabbage over filling, and, starting with the stem end, roll the cabbage up. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling.
• Line a 5-quart Dutch oven with reserved outside leaves. Transfer stuffed cabbage leaves to Dutch oven.
• In a large bowl, combine tomato puree and the reserved 2 cups of cabbage cooking water. Pour some of the tomato sauce over cabbage to almost cover. Sprinkle apple over top of cabbage leaves. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a gentle simmer; cover. Cook for 1 hour or until cabbage is very tender, adding additional tomato sauce as needed.
• Place sour cream in a small bowl, and ladle in about 3/4 cup of tomato sauce from the cooked stuffed cabbage rolls. Whisk to combine. Add sour cream mixture back to Dutch oven, and stir to combine. Serve with additional sour cream.

Steps:

• Carefully cut away the bottom center core of the cabbage. Pull off and discard any tough or blemished outer leaves.
• Bring enough water to the boil to cover the cabbage when it is added. Drop the cabbage into the water and cook, turning occasionally, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Drain the cabbage and run it briefly under cold water. Place the cabbage cored side down to drain further.
• Put the lamb in a mixing bowl and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet and add two cups of the onions and one teaspoon of the garlic. Cook briefly, stirring, and add the green pepper and celery. Sprinkle with the cumin and turmeric and stir. Cook over medium-low heat about five minutes. Spoon the mixture onto a plate to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Add the bread crumbs, dill and eggs to the lamb. Add the cooled onion and garlic mixture, salt, pepper and hot red-pepper flakes. Mix thoroughly with the hands.
• Lay out a rectangle of cheesecloth of double thickness measuring about 12 by 10 inches (folded measure).
• Place one of the largest leaves, rounded side up, in the center of the cheesecloth. Cover with a second, somewhat smaller, leaf. Fill the center of the second leaf with three or four tablespoons of filling.
• Bring up the four corners of the cheesecloth and twist the ends together over a bowl. This will shape the leaves into a compact round. It is not necessary to use string. Remove the cabbage ball from the cheesecloth. Continue making the balls until all the leaves and filling are used. There should be about 20 to 24 cabbage balls.
• Heat the butter in a heavy casserole or baking dish large enough to hold all the cabbage balls in one layer. Add the remaining one and one-half cups of onions and the remaining one teaspoon garlic and cook briefly, stirring. Add the bay leaves and whole cloves. Arrange the cabbage balls seam side down in the casserole.
• Blend the tomatoes and broth and pour this around the cabbage balls. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover closely with a heavy lid or aluminum foil and place in the oven. Bake 50 minutes. Remove the cover and continue to bake 10 minutes.
• Remove the bay leaves. Serve hot or cold with the pan juices.