First Person Singular by Wendy Braitman

filed in Foodstuff

Happy 5770!

September 18, 2009 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

In honor of the Jewish New Year, which starts at sunset, I’m preparing stuffed cabbage. Though I never saw my mother or grandmother make this dish, it has its roots in Eastern Europe, and brings them sweetly to mind. This is hearty peasant food, and perfect for a crowd. The trick I learned from Joan Nathan’s indispensible Jewish Holiday Cookbook, is rather than boil the cabbage, you freeze it for 2 days, defrost the night before, and the leaves will be the right consistency to fill and roll.

I’ve tried a number of recipes. My favorite is from the Barefoot Contessa At Home.

STUFFED CABBAGE

Serves 6

3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes and their juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large head Savoy or green cabbage, including outer leaves

Filling:

2 1/2 pounds ground chuck
3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup plain dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup uncooked white rice
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onions, and cook over medium 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.

(I ignore this next step, and freeze as indicated above) 2. 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 the leaf, you will need at least 14 leaves.

3. 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.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 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 the leaf and roll up toward the outer edge, tucking in the sides as you roll.

5. Place half the cabbage rolls, seam side 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.

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