meat and vegetable - lamb and savoy cabbage rolls
t=teaspoon T=tablespoon + -=more or less
These recipes are for your personal use only and may not be added in any form to archives or other works.
Lamb and Savoy Cabbage Rolls
Lamb cooked with dried fruit is very common in Northern Africa and the Middle East and was the inspiration for this dish as was the stuffed
grape leaves I make each summer. The stuffing is well balanced by the delicate flavour of the savoy
cabbage. Serve in its own broth with a side dish of boiled or mashed potatoes and another vegetable such as carrot.
serves 4 (2 rolls each)
a small head of savoy cabbage
500 g. ground lamb
1 small onion
1 T. butter
4 t. minced pine nuts
1/2 t. British mixed spice*
1/2 t. tarragon
1/2 t. mint
3 T. parsley, minced
2 T. basmati rice
100 g. mixed dried fruit (apple, apricot, prune, pear)
to cook the rolls:
a few lamb bones
1 onion quartered
salt and pepper
a tart fruit such as apple or quince, or the peel of an untreated lemon and orange
Remove the outer dark leaves of the cabbage and use a small knife to cut around the base of the
cabbage. Remove eight leaves carefully. Reserve the rest of the cabbage for another dish.
Blanch the leaves, 2 at a time in boiling, salted water for 3 minutes. Remove to a bowl of cold
water to stop the cooking. Drain in a colander.
Lay a leaf with the main rib up. ‘Shave’ off the rib without cutting through the leaf. Repeat with all.
Set aside cut side up.
Sauté the onion over medium heat in the melted butter until soft. Add the mixed spice, dried
herbs, pine nuts and rice. Sauté for a few minutes, adding a spoon of water to prevent burning.
Add the lamb and use a spatula to break up the meat as it cooks, mixing well with the other
ingredients. Pepper well and cook for 15 minutes. Set aside.
Lay a leaf, cut side up with the stem end toward you. Place an eighth of the filling in the lower third of the leaf (stem end).
Roll once over the filling, fold the sides of the leaf to the middle, covering the filling and
continue to roll. Give the roll a squeeze to help retain its shape. Repeat for the rest of the leaves.
In a deep, medium sized pot, place the lamb bones and one cabbage leaf. Lay 4 of the rolls next to each other. Layer over half the onion and half of the fruit or peel. Sprinkle with a little salt and
pepper well. Repeat with another layer of rolls (lay in opposite direction), onion and fruit. Pepper well.
Lay a heavy saucer on top (this helps to weigh down the rolls so they do not unroll), fill with water
to the saucer and bring to a boil.
Lower heat and continue to simmer gently for 50 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to rest for another 10 minutes.
Ladle a little of the broth into a deep plate and place two rolls.
Serving variation: In Poland, cabbage rolls are often served with sour cream. I think
crème fraîche is tastier with these rolls or a
slice of fresh soft cheese such as goat or a dollop of herbal fresh cheese such as
Brisot. Garnish with a sprig of fresh herb.
*British Mixed Spice: equal amounts of clove, mace, nutmeg, coriander seeds, allspice and cinnamon or use apple pie spice to
substitute.
All recipes are excerpts from "Welcome to My Kitchen" - The Epicurean Table and are copyright of the author. Recipes are not to be
added to any form of archive or other works of any kind. Contact the author for further information.
The Epicurean Table © 1999-2002 Patricia Conant