Stuffed Cabbage With Three Cheese Recipes

STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Using a paring knife, remove center core of cabbage. In a large nonreactive stockpot, bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Add cabbage and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until outer leaves are bright green and tender. Lift cabbage from water, and remove outer leaves. Return cabbage to boiling water, and repeat brief cooking and removal of leaves until all leaves are cooked. Reserve 2 cups cabbage cooking water. Trim thick center vein from bottom of each leaf. Reserve four large outer leaves to line bottom of pan.
• In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook until golden and tender, about 8 minutes. In a large bowl, combine onion mixture, rice, beef, pork, salt, pepper, parsley flakes, green pepper, and celery. Stir to combine.
• Add about 1/3 cup rice filling to one cabbage leaf. Fold sides of cabbage over filling, and, starting with the stem end, roll the cabbage up. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling.
• Line a 5-quart Dutch oven with reserved outside leaves. Transfer stuffed cabbage leaves to Dutch oven.
• In a large bowl, combine tomato puree and the reserved 2 cups of cabbage cooking water. Pour some of the tomato sauce over cabbage to almost cover. Sprinkle apple over top of cabbage leaves. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a gentle simmer; cover. Cook for 1 hour or until cabbage is very tender, adding additional tomato sauce as needed.
• Place sour cream in a small bowl, and ladle in about 3/4 cup of tomato sauce from the cooked stuffed cabbage rolls. Whisk to combine. Add sour cream mixture back to Dutch oven, and stir to combine. Serve with additional sour cream.

STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Place cabbage head in freezer and freeze overnight. Remove from freezer, thaw and peel away leaves.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine the beef, egg, onion, rice, salt and pepper. Mix together well. Take a small handful and form into a small roll or ball. Place into the center of a cabbage leaf. Fold the sides of the leaf over and roll the ball up into the leaf. Place seam side down in baking dish. Continue until all of the filling is used up.
• Mix together the soup with a 1/2 can water; pour over stuffed cabbage.
• Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour; baste often with the sauce.

STUFFED WHOLE CABBAGE

Steps:

• Combine sauce ingredients; set aside. Line a medium bowl with cheesecloth, allowing 6 inches to overhang edges of bowl. Place cabbage in bowl with core facing up. Remove core and center of cabbage, leaving a 1-in. shell. Discard core; chop center cabbage leaves. , Heat large skillet over medium heat; add oil. Cook onion and 1 cup chopped cabbage in oil until tender, 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. In a small bowl, combine beef, onion mixture, 1 cup sauce, rice, egg, salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into cabbage shell. Gather cheesecloth around cabbage and twist tightly to securely enclose cabbage leaves and filling. , Place 1 cup water, remaining chopped cabbage and remaining sauce in a Dutch oven; mix well. Carefully add stuffed cabbage, with twisted cheesecloth facing down. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until whole cabbage is tender and a thermometer inserted in the middle of the cabbage reads 165°, 1 to 1-1/4 hours. Remove cabbage and discard cheesecloth. Place cabbage on a serving platter; keep warm. , Combine the cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup water; add to Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil until thickened, about 2 minutes. Cut cabbage into wedges; serve with sauce and Parmesan cheese. If desired, sprinkle with fresh thyme and oregano leaves.

STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• For the sauce: In a large bowl, combine the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, red chili flakes (if using), brown sugar, and red wine vinegar. With a microplane, grate the clove of garlic into the sauce and stir well to combine. (Alternatively, you can very finely chop the garlic.)
• For the filling: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut out the core from the base of the cabbage and remove the 1-2 outer leaves. Place the cabbage cut side down into the pot of boiling water. As you see leaves naturally start to separate from the head of cabbage, gently coax the leaf off with a pair of tongs and transfer it to a colander set over a bowl. You will need about 14 cabbage leaves. This process takes about 6-8 minutes. Rinse the leaves with cold water until cool enough to handle. Drain well and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
• Place the cabbage leaves on a cutting board and make a V-shaped cut at the bottom of each leaf, to cut out the thickest part of the center rib.
• In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, pork, onion, egg, milk or cream, breadcrumbs, rice, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix gently to combine.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch-by-13-inch casserole dish. Ladle 1 cup of sauce into the dish and spread all over. Starting with the largest, outer cabbage leaves, lay each cabbage leaf flat. Take about 1/3 cup of filling and roughly shape it into an oval shape, about 4-inches long. (For some of the larger leaves, use up to ½ cup of filling.) Place the oval in the center a cabbage leaf, just above where the rib was cut. Fold the sides of the cabbage leaf over the filling and roll up into a little bundle (start rolling at the cut side, over into the uncut side). Place seam side down over top of the sauce in the baking dish. Repeat until each cabbage leaf is used. Drizzle the remainder of the sauce all over.
• Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, until the meat is cooked through. Serve with a side of mashed potatoes, if you like.

STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil. Salt it generously.
• Core the cabbage. Gently peel away the leaves to expose the heart (by heart, I mean the ball of more yellowish leaves at the center which are too tightly packed to bother prying apart). Cut out that core of inner-most leaves and shred to add to the stuffing. Cut the thick ribs out of the remaining leaves (they will look like you've stolen a sliver from a pie). Set aside.
• Blanch the cabbage leaves for 5 to 7 minutes. Drain, and refresh under ice-cold water. Drain and pat dry with a towel.
• Break the bread into crumbs in a bowl, pour over the milk and set aside to soften. Heat the butter and olive oil in a skillet and gently fry the onion and shallot until transparent, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped cabbage, mushrooms, garlic and thyme. Cook another 5 minutes. Add the bread and cook until the milk has evaporated. Stir through the quatre-epices and season generously with salt and pepper. Add this mixture to the sausage meat in a large bowl and mix thoroughly with a fork. Make a small ball and fry it in the frying pan. Taste it to check the seasonings. Adjust as needed.
• Lay a tea towel on the counter with a piece of cheesecloth or muslin large enough to wrap the cabbage in. You're going to reconstruct the cabbage, but with layers of stuffing between the leaves. So, first lay down the large outer leaves, in a circle, slightly overlapping with the prettiest side out. Spread over a layer of stuffing. Lay over another layer of leaves and repeat the action. Continue until you have run out of leaves. Pull up the edges of the cheesecloth, like a bag, and twist, as if making the head of a puppet, to shape the cabbage into a round loaf shape. Tie a string around the beard of cheesecloth where it meets the cabbage ball, to secure the package. The cabbage can be prepared to this stage in advance, refrigerated and then cooked before serving.
• To cook: Steam the cabbage over water or good chicken stock (about 2 cups/500 ml of it) for 45 minutes. The flavor from the stuffed cabbage will drip into the water or stock and give it the most amazing flavor. When the cabbage is done, boil down the cooking juices and serve a spoonful around each wedge of cabbage in a soup bowl.

VALERIE'S STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the cauliflower rice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower rice has started to soften, about 3 minutes. Turn the heat off and let cool to room temperature.
• Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Use a paring knife to remove the core from the cabbage. Place the cabbage in the boiling water. Use a rubber spatula to slide under the outer leaf of cabbage and carefully separate it from the head. Use tongs to remove the cabbage leaf to the lined baking sheet. Continue removing leaves in this manner until you have 12. Turn the heat off and reserve the remainder of the cabbage for another use. Set aside the cabbage leaves to cool slightly.
• Add the ground turkey, cauliflower rice, tomatoes, basil, Italian seasoning, egg, onions and 2 tablespoons parsley to a large bowl. Grate 2 cloves of garlic directly into the bowl and sprinkle the mixture with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Use clean hands to mix the ingredients together until they are well combined. Set aside the mixture.
• Add the tomato purée, onion powder, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup water to a 4-cup measuring cup. Grate the remaining 2 cloves of garlic directly into the measuring cup. Use a fork to whisk the mixture until it is well combined. Pour half of the mixture into the base of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Set aside the baking dish and reserved sauce.
• Place one blanched cabbage leaf on a clean work surface. Use a paring knife to cut a V-shaped notch at the base of the cabbage leaf to remove the thick rib. Spoon 1/3 cup meat mixture in the top third of the cabbage leaf. Roll the top of the cabbage leaf over the meat mixture, then fold the sides in, and continue rolling in a continuous motion to create a roll. Place the roll, seam-side down, in the prepared baking dish. Continue the process with the remaining 11 cabbage leaves.
• Pour the remaining sauce over the cabbage rolls. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and transfer to the oven to bake until the meat is cooked through, 55 minutes to 1 hour.
• Garnish with the remaining tablespoon chopped fresh parsley. Serve with the extra sauce spooned over the cabbage rolls.

LIGHT AND LUSCIOUS STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS

Steps:

• Immerse 4 cabbage leaves at a time into boiling water for 3 minutes or until limp.
• Drain on paper towels.
• In large skillet cook meat, onions, and garlic until meat is browned.
• Drain and stir in water, undrained tomatoes, uncooked rice, Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon oregano, and pepper.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.
• Place 1/3 cup meat mixture onto each cabbage leaf and fold in sides.
• Roll up starting at an unfolded edge and make sure folded sides are included in roll.
• In a small bowl mix tomato sauce, sugar, basil, and salt.
• Pour half of it on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
• Place rolls in dish and pour remaining sauce on top.
• Bake covered at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
• Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.

CABBAGE-STUFFED CABBAGE WITH BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut deeply around the core at the base of the cabbage but do not remove it. Immerse the cabbage in the boiling water for 4 to 5 minutes, then use a strainer and large fork to remove it from the water. Peel off as many of the large outer leaves as come off easily. Return the head of cabbage to the water, boil for a few more minutes, remove from the water again and repeat until you have 8 leaves. Drain on paper towels.
• Halve the remaining cabbage and remove the core. Cut the halves into wide ribbons and gently squeeze out any remaining water. Melt the butter in a large skillet and add the leek, juniper berries and 1 tablespoon of water and cook over medium heat until the leek is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the cut cabbage and cream, cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Put 1/2 cup of chopped cabbage and 1 cheese cube in the center of each leaf. Roll up the leaf, folding in the sides as you go. Steam the cabbage rolls until heated through, about 10 minutes, and serve.