Friday Feast/Saturday Supper - Stuffed Cabbage Leaves

I know, it's ages since there was a Friday Feast recipe here - and then I go and post one on a Saturday :(

Stuffed Cabbage Leaves

Serves 4 - or two hungry people

1 large head white cabbage
 75g basmati rice
2 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 onion, peeled and chopped
400g can peeled plum tomatoes
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp crushed red chilli
250g lean minced pork
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/Gas 5 and bring a pan of water to the boil. Remove 8 outer leaves from the cabbage, then chop a quarter of the cabbage finely and reserve. Dip two of the outer leaves at a time into the boiling water then refresh in cold water.

Boil the rice in water for about 6 minutes then drain. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan and sauté half the garlic, all the onion and the reserved chopped
cabbage, with seasoning, for about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Heat the remaining oil and cook the rest of the garlic until golden, then add the
tomatoes, cinnamon, chilli and a pinch of salt and break up with a spoon. Cook for 5 minutes then pour into a baking dish.

Mix the pork and dill to the cooled onion, mix well and use to fill the cabbage leaves, making a bundle by rolling the front piece over, tucking the sides in and rolling up. Place seam side down in the dish with the tomato sauce and bake for 20 minutes until cooked through and no pink meat remains.

Things I do: ha, next time I won't leave it in for that extra ten minutes! It got a little bit overdone as you can see but tasted every bit as good. Not unlike stuffed vine leaves - the cinnamon just added that extra touch somehow. And if this recipe was to go round four people, say with mashed or jacket potatoes, then I think I'd double the quantity of sauce.

Enjoy!

Di
x