The Garden & Saucier
Grammy’s Cabbage Rolls
The Strategy:
Boiling cabbage leaves briefly makes them soft and pliable enough to roll around a savory beef and rice filling. Adding sweet raisins and fresh parsley to the sirloin mixture creates a beautiful balance of flavors inside each roll. Simmering them slowly in a sweet-and-sour tomato sauce infused with grape juice and vinegar makes for a tender, comforting meal.
Book: Canvas & Cuisine
Page: 137
Category: HARVEST VEGETABLES
Ingredients
Cabbage
- 1 large head cabbage, cored
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped, about 1 ½ cup
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced, about 1 teaspoon
- 1 pound ground sirloin
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- ½ cup golden raisins
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
Sauce
- 1 (14.5-ounce can) crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup white grape juice
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Instructions
Cabbage & Filling Prep
- Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Drop the cabbage into the hot water and cook until the leaves begin to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Remove the cabbage to your work surface and remove the top leaves, about 16. Use a sharp knife to trim the thick vein so that it is even with the rest of the leaf. Do not remove the vein, you want a flat surface.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the ground sirloin and cook until brown and crumbly.
- Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Stir in the cooked rice, raisins and parsley.
- Season with salt and pepper.
Assembly & Slow Cooking
- Place one leaf onto your work surface.
- Spoon about ¼ cup of the sirloin-rice filling into the center of the leaf.
- Fold the edges up and over the filling and roll up to small cylinders.
- Place into the bottom of a slow cooker. Continue with the remaining rolls.
- Stir together the tomatoes, grape juice and vinegar.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour the sauce over the rolls.
- Cook on the high setting for 2 hours (or the low setting for 6 to 8 hours) and keep warm until ready to serve.
The Heart of the Table
These cabbage rolls carry the heartwarming nostalgia of family heritage and kitchen traditions passed down through generations. Serving them in a slow cooker keeps them warm and ready, filling the home with a rich, savory-sweet aroma that draws everyone close to the table.
The Art of the Host
- a pair of professional-grade stainless steel locking kitchen tongs
- a flexible stainless steel slotted turner with a walnut handle
- a fine-blade microplane zester with an ergonomic soft-grip handle
- a teardrop weighted stainless steel bar spoon with a twisted stem
- a flexible high-carbon stainless steel fish spatula with a walnut handle
Neighborly Grace
- THE PRESENTATION: Present the rolls on a deep platter, ladling the rich, reddish tomato sauce over them and finishing with a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley.
- THE POUR: A medium-bodied red blend or a chilled grape juice mixed with a splash of apple cider vinegar.
- THE VIBE: Evening Dining Room. The room is cozy and warm, filled with the comforting scent of slow-cooked beef and sweet cabbage as stories are shared around the table.