Sunday, May 24, 2009

STUFFED SAVOY CABBAGE

INGREDIENTS
savoy cabbage - about 4 lbs
vinegar - 1 tbls
olive oil
onion - 2 cups, chopped
garlic - 1 clove, chopped
ground sausage (chicken or pork) or shitakke mushrooms- 14 oz
breadcrumbs - 7 slices of wholegrain bread or 7 oz
salt and pepper
nutmeg - pinch
parsley - 2 tbls
egg - 1

butter- 2 tbls
carrots - 1 cup
onion - 2 cup
celery - 1 cup
dry white wine - 1/2 cup
stock - 1 cup
bay leaf - 1
Find a medium to large pot and bring salted water to a boil. Add a dash of vinegar.
Separate all of the leaves of the cabbage and rinse each leaf.
Boil 6 or 7 leaves at a time, for 5-8 minutes, until tender. Drain the leaves in a colander in your sink.

To make the breadcrumbs:
Cut the bread into quarters and toast the bread in the oven at 300' for 25 - 40 minutes until dry...cool and crumble in a blender or food processor.

For the stuffing:
Saute the onion in a large frying pan over medium heat until tender.
Add the garlic and sausage meat and cook until tender but not browned.
In a large bowl, combine the sausage meant, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, parsley and egg.
Mix thoroughly.

To assemble:
Create 4 piles of cabbage leaves by size. Arrange the largest leaves in a circle, overlapping them slightly and placing the curling edges up. Place 1/3 of the stuffing on top of the cabbage leaves. Top this with another layer of the next smallest leaves over the stuffing. Place another 1/3rd of the stuffing on top of those leaves. Do this one more time.

Take a long piece of cotton string and place it under the layers of cabbage and filling. Pull the string up around to the top bringing the bottom layers of cabbage up so it looks like a big cabbage; cross the string and bring it back down to the bottom. Cross the strin over and under the cabbage 2 or 3 times to hold the shape of the head. Flip the whole thing over. I hope this is easier than it sounds...you want to have a cabbage leaves on the outside and the stuffing inside.

Sauce:
Heat the butter over medium heat. Add the vegetables and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the wine, stock and bay leaf and cook for 2 minutes more.

Bake:
Place the stuffed cabbage in a deep baking pan surrounded by the sauce. Cover and bake at 375' for 50 to 60 minutes.

To serve:
Place the cabbage on a serving platter surrounded by the sauce and vegetables. Cut and remove the string and cut into wedges to serve.

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