Last week NULL folks wrote to me on the similar day asking for a recipe for cabbage rolls, and due to the fact I’d via way of no means made them before, I decided to take that as a sign. I’m at all times on the lookout for dishes that I haven’t yet cooked, and besides, cabbage is certainly one of the few inexperienced vegetables in season this time of year. It appeared like cabbage rolls and I have been supposed to be.
Of course, I didn’t recognise on the delivery simply how a lot work was concerned in stuffing cabbage. I decided proper away that the filling can be lentil-based; ordinary filled cabbage recipes require some sort of flooring meat, typically cow or lamb, and I discover that a mixture of lentils and grain is a nice vegetarian replacement. So on Sunday, I cooked my lentils (1 1/4 cup lentils, 3 1/2 cups water, 2 cloves minced garlic, salt and pepper to style and boil exposed till tender) and soaked my bulgur wheat (1/3 cup bulgar, 2/3 cup boiling vegetable broth).
Then I observed that the “whole” cabbage I idea I had in my fridge had, in fact, been partially sacrificed to make final week’s Cabbage Noodle Soup. Since it was too shut to dinnertime to run to the shop for cabbage and nonetheless have time to get dinner on the table, I placed the lentils and bulgur into the fridge, requested my Facebook fans to inform me what to make with the contents of my fridge, and threw collectively a modified Aloo Gobi. Buying and stuffing a cabbage would must wait till Monday.
When I got dwelling from the grocery shop on Monday, with the cabbage and 142 different issues my household desires within the usual week, I was joyful I’d already cooked the lentils and grain. Rolling up the filling within the cabbage leaves became out to be simpler than I expected–cabbage leaves simply appear to desire to wrap themselves round stuff–but the complete job of constructing the tomato sauce, boiling the cabbage to get the leaves to come free, and trimming the leaves earlier than stuffing them took longer than I expected.
I might well have made the complete job a lot simpler via way of utilizing canned lentils and jarred tomato sauce, but I assume the recipe would have suffered. Of course, if you’re no longer up for an afternoon of cabbage stuffing adventures, do no matter you possibly can to make this recipe faster and easier.
Making Cabbage Rolls
Some issues are simpler to present really than tell, so within the spirit of “a picture’s value a thousand words,” here’s 8000 words’ value of instruction. I’ve made it printable, so simply click on on the hyperlink above it if you’d desire to have a duplicate to preserve with the recipe.
Since it was my first time making cabbage rolls, I decided to be conservative and keep on with the seasonings within the non-vegetarian recipes I discovered in cookbooks and online–meaning very little seasoning. As a result, these cabbage rolls are an quality exhibit for the earthiness of the lentils, the sweetness of the roasted tomatoes and raisins, and the, um, cabbaginess of the cabbage. I idea they have been delicious as-is, but I’ve additional simply a couple of seasoning tips to the recipe for these of you who like issues pretty seasoned.
Vegan Cabbage Rolls
Be certain you've got cooked lentils and grain on-hand earlier than delivery this delicious but instead time-consuming recipe. I recommend cooking them the day before. You too can blend the filling meals and shop them within the refrigerator till you’re in a position to make the rolls.
Ingredients:
SAUCE
1 medium onion chopped
pinch baking soda
4 cloves garlic minced
1 28-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes*
1 16- ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes* pureed in blender
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt* or to taste
generous grating black pepper
1/4 cup raisins
CABBAGE AND FILLING
1 enormous cabbage
3 cups cooked lentils from 1 1/4 cup dry
1 cup cooked grain bulgur wheat, kasha, brown rice, quinoa, etc.
1 medium onion minced
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons minced recent parsley
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon paprika smoked or regular
1/2 teaspoon freshly flooring black pepper or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt* or to taste
1/4 teaspoon allspice
Instructions:
Sauce: Heat a enormous non-stick pan and upload the onions and a pinch of baking soda. Cook till the onion softens, about 3-5 minutes. Stir within the garlic and train dinner for one other minute. Add all remaining sauce meals besides the raisins, scale back warmth to low, and cover. Cook for at the least 30 minutes as you train the cabbage leaves and filling.
Fill a enormous deep pan with sufficient water to hide a cabbage and deliver it to a boil. Remove all torn or ragged outer leaves from the cabbage. Use a paring knife to chop at an perspective round the middle and take away as a lot of it as you can. Put the cabbage core-end up into the boiling water and train dinner till the leaves soften and start to come unfastened of the cabbage; you would possibly use a fork or tongs to loosen leaves in the event that they turn out to be stuck, but be cautious to no longer tear them. Remove every leaf and repeat till you've got 10-12 complete cabbage leaves. (I’ve also learn which you simply possibly can freeze the cabbage overnight and permit it thaw the subsequent day; the leaves can be softened the similar as after boiling. I haven’t tried this, though.)
Place the leaves and the remaining cabbage head in a strainer and rinse underneath chilly water. Finely shred the cabbage remaining on the top and upload it to the sauce alongside with the raisins. Keep the sauce protected and proceed to train dinner on very low.
In a medium bowl, blend the lentils and all remaining ingredients, including salt and pepper to taste. Dry every cabbage leaf gently and trim the thick rib shut to the stem stop of every leaf.
Put a cabbage leaf in your work floor with the concave aspect up, like a cup, and the stem stop towards you. Place about 1/3 cup of the lentil combination shut to the stem stop (a little extra for enormous leaves, an awful lot less for smaller ones) and mould it into an rectangular shape. Fold the stem up over the filling after which fold every of the aspects towards the middle. Roll the filling up the relaxation of the leaf. You must have a nice, tight package. Place it on a plate and repeat with remaining leaves. (If you've got some filling left over, it makes a delicious salad.)
Spread about half of the tomato sauce within the backside of a enormous Dutch oven or different heavy pot. Place every cabbage roll, seam-side down, on ideal of the sauce in one layer. (It’s okay if it’s a cosy fit.) Spread the remaining sauce over the rolls. Cover and train dinner in your lowest warmth putting till the cabbage is tender, about 45-60 minutes, being cautious to no longer burn the bottom.
To serve, area NULL cabbage rolls on a plate and hide with sauce.