Cabbage Rolls With Meat Stuffing And Wild Mushroom Sauce
Serves: 2
Cecile Bahringer
1 January 1970
Based on User reviews:
54
Spice
45
Sweetness
50
Sourness
44
mins
Prep time (avg)
6
Difficulty
Ingredients:
2 large
Savoy Cabbage (heads)2 tbsps
Unsalted Butter2 tbsps
Onion (minced)4 cups
Cooked White Rice (/630 g)1
Salt2 cups
Chicken Broth (/480 ml)2 cups
Water (/480 ml boiling)1 tbsps
All-Purpose Flour60 ml
Heavy CreamDirections:
1
Roll the leaves up, folding in the sides and ends so the stuffing is enclosed
2
Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/gas 4
3
Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C/gas 4
4
To make the cabbage rolls: Fill a large pot—one in which you can submerse a whole head of cabbage—with water and bring to a boil
5
(It is helpful to use a pot with a strainer insert, such as a pasta pot, so you can pick up the insert to remove the cooked cabbage, rather than struggle with spoons or tongs
6
) Add the first head of cabbage and parboil for about 10 minutes
7
Remove and let it drain in a colander in the sink until just cool enough to handle
8
Meanwhile, cook the second head of cabbage, drain, and cool
9
Gently pull the outer leaves off each cabbage
10
(Some of these might be soggy or torn
11
) Set these aside to line the baking dish
12
It helps to cut off some of the coarse stem at the beginning and while peeling off the leaves
13
Your goal is to have 12 to 16 perfect medium to large leaves in which to roll the stuffing
14
Set aside the small leaves for lining the baking dish as well
15
If you can get more than 16 leaves to stuff, do so—you can never have too many little doves
16
Pat each leaf dry and set aside on a kitchen or paper towel
17
In a small frying pan, melt 2 tbsp of the butter over medium heat, add the onion, and cook until lightly browned
18
Remove from the heat and put the onion, rice, and chopped meat into a food processor; season with salt and pepper; and whirl until well mixed
19
You want to be careful not to overprocess the filling—it should have the consistency of raw meatballs, and not be mushy
20
Lay out the "choice" cabbage leaves on a work surface and divide the filling among the leaves: The exact portion size for each one will depend on the size of the leaf
21
(I dollop the filling on with a tablespoon, placing it near the bottom of the leaf)
22
If any stem remaining on the leaf seems especially tough or thick, you can pare it down with a vegetable peeler
23
Line the bottom of a 9-x-12-in/23-x-30
24
5-cm baking dish with any leftover cabbage leaves
25
(If, after lining the dish, you find you still have a lot of leftover leaves, store them in the refrigerator and eventually chop them, cook in butter, and season with salt and pepper to serve as a side dish for another meal!)
26
Rest the rolls on top, seam-side down; they can be crowded together, just so long as they don't overlap
27
If you run out of room in one baking dish, start a smaller, second one, lining it the same way
28
Pour in the chicken broth (it should come about a third of the way up the sides of the rolls, and not submerge them)
29
Dot the tops of the rolls with the remaining 3 tbsp butter
30
Bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour, or until the tops are golden and slightly crispy
31
Remove the cabbage rolls to a platter and keep warm (you can tent them with foil and keep them in the turned-off oven)
32
Discard the leaves lining the baking dish, but reserve the broth, which will be added to the mushroom sauce
33
Fill a large pot—one in which you can submerse a whole head of cabbage—with water and bring to a boil
34
(It is helpful to use a pot with a strainer insert, such as a pasta pot, so you can pick up the insert to remove the cooked cabbage, rather than struggle with spoons or tongs
35
) Add the first head of cabbage and parboil for about 10 minutes
36
Remove and let it drain in a colander in the sink until just cool enough to handle
37
Meanwhile, cook the second head of cabbage, drain, and cool
38
Gently pull the outer leaves off each cabbage
39
(Some of these might be soggy or torn
40
) Set these aside to line the baking dish
41
It helps to cut off some of the coarse stem at the beginning and while peeling off the leaves
42
Your goal is to have 12 to 16 perfect medium to large leaves in which to roll the stuffing
43
Set aside the small leaves for lining the baking dish as well
44
If you can get more than 16 leaves to stuff, do so—you can never have too many little doves
45
Pat each leaf dry and set aside on a kitchen or paper towel
46
In a small frying pan, melt 2 tbsp of the butter over medium heat, add the onion, and cook until lightly browned
47
Remove from the heat and put the onion, rice, and chopped meat into a food processor; season with salt and pepper; and whirl until well mixed
48
You want to be careful not to overprocess the filling—it should have the consistency of raw meatballs, and not be mushy
49
Lay out the "choice" cabbage leaves on a work surface and divide the filling among the leaves: The exact portion size for each one will depend on the size of the leaf
50
(I dollop the filling on with a tablespoon, placing it near the bottom of the leaf)
51
If any stem remaining on the leaf seems especially tough or thick, you can pare it down with a vegetable peeler
52
Roll the leaves up, folding in the sides and ends so the stuffing is enclosed
53
Line the bottom of a 9-x-12-in/23-x-30
54
5-cm baking dish with any leftover cabbage leaves
55
(If, after lining the dish, you find you still have a lot of leftover leaves, store them in the refrigerator and eventually chop them, cook in butter, and season with salt and pepper to serve as a side dish for another meal!)
56
Rest the rolls on top, seam-side down; they can be crowded together, just so long as they don't overlap
57
If you run out of room in one baking dish, start a smaller, second one, lining it the same way
58
Pour in the chicken broth (it should come about a third of the way up the sides of the rolls, and not submerge them)
59
Dot the tops of the rolls with the remaining 3 tbsp butter
60
Bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour, or until the tops are golden and slightly crispy
61
Remove the cabbage rolls to a platter and keep warm (you can tent them with foil and keep them in the turned-off oven)
62
Discard the leaves lining the baking dish, but reserve the broth, which will be added to the mushroom sauce
63
To make the wild mushroom sauce: Soak the dried mushrooms in the boiling water for at least 30 minutes, until softened
64
Strain the soaking liquid through a fine-mesh strainer lined with a paper towel or cheesecloth, placed over a bowl
65
Squeeze the mushrooms until the juices are all extracted
66
Set the liquid aside
67
Rinse the mushrooms with cold water, pat dry, and coarsely chop
68
In a large frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat and cook the onion until translucent
69
Add the chopped fresh mushrooms and soaked dried mushrooms, and cook, stirring often, until all the mushrooms are soft and golden
70
Sprinkle the mushrooms with the flour, season with salt and pepper, and stir constantly until the mushrooms are well coated
71
Slowly add the reserved mushroom soaking liquid, continuing to stir until all the liquid is blended in and has thickened
72
Add the wine, cream, and any broth remaining in the pan in which the cabbage rolls were cooked, adding each one separately, stirring constantly, and allowing the sauce to thicken before adding the next
73
Add the lemon juice and lower the heat
74
Simmer the sauce for a good 15 minutes or so, until thick and rich
75
If the sauce is still too thin after 15 minutes, raise the heat and cook at a gentle boil, stirring, until reduced further
76
When ready to serve, pour the mushroom sauce over the cabbage rolls, and serve immediately
77
Soak the dried mushrooms in the boiling water for at least 30 minutes, until softened
78
Strain the soaking liquid through a fine-mesh strainer lined with a paper towel or cheesecloth, placed over a bowl
79
Squeeze the mushrooms until the juices are all extracted
80
Set the liquid aside
81
Rinse the mushrooms with cold water, pat dry, and coarsely chop
82
In a large frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat and cook the onion until translucent
83
Add the chopped fresh mushrooms and soaked dried mushrooms, and cook, stirring often, until all the mushrooms are soft and golden
84
Sprinkle the mushrooms with the flour, season with salt and pepper, and stir constantly until the mushrooms are well coated
85
Slowly add the reserved mushroom soaking liquid, continuing to stir until all the liquid is blended in and has thickened
86
Add the wine, cream, and any broth remaining in the pan in which the cabbage rolls were cooked, adding each one separately, stirring constantly, and allowing the sauce to thicken before adding the next
87
Add the lemon juice and lower the heat
88
Simmer the sauce for a good 15 minutes or so, until thick and rich
89
If the sauce is still too thin after 15 minutes, raise the heat and cook at a gentle boil, stirring, until reduced further
90
When ready to serve, pour the mushroom sauce over the cabbage rolls, and serve immediately