vegetarian "meat" cabbage rolls

this is a great recipe for those days you do not want to eat meat or cannot eat it. it is also appropriate for vegetarians & those following a vegan diet. though it was designed as a vegetarian option, it can certainly be converted for use with meat.

it is almost exactly like those cabbage rolls which are filled with whatever meat you normally use. i have managed to fool quite a few people over the years with these. as this is a recipe of my own doing, at the moment i can only vouch for using the yves brand groundround product. i am sure a similar product would produce the same results. i love using the dried sweetened cranberries from ocean spray (see ingredients in the recipe) instead of the traditional raisins.

the recipe can be doubled and the rolls frozen for later use. if you do not or cannot use soy "meat" products, then you can most definitely replace it with real ground beef or turkey. i would add an egg to the mixture also, in that case. do not cook the meat beforehand either — just mix it together as you would for regular rolls. i will experiment at a later date with tvp & extra firm crumbled tofu to see if it measures up for a non-meat substitute.

this time i used a savoy cabbage in place of the standard cabbage we see at the market. you can either separate and boil the leaves or boil the whole cabbage itself for several minutes. i did the former in this instance.

the standard measure for filling is about 2 tbsp per leaf however you should decrease it to 1 tbsp when filling the smaller inner leaves, should you be using a smaller savoy cabbage. you can, of course, use a regular cabbage too.

vegetarian "meat" cabbage rolls

makes approximately 12 - 15

filling ingredients:

1 pkg yves ground round or similar product [340 g pkg]
scant 1/3 c [jasmine] rice
4 tbsp [fresh] finely ground bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 - 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 - 2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp ketchup

1 large onion
3 cloves garlic

1 savoy cabbage

sauce ingredients:

1 1/2 c tomato sauce [2 small cans hunts]
1/4 c ketchup
1/2 - 3/4 c apple sauce
1/2 c water
1 1/2 - 2 tbsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
3 tbsp craisins, or golden raisins or chopped dried apricots

dice the onion and garlic and fry in 1 - 2 tbsp olive oil until soft and very lightly browned. set aside 3 tbsp of this mixture for the filling.

make the sauce by combining all the ingredients along with the onion-garlic mixture in a saucepan. bring to a boil and simmer for approximately 5 to 10 minutes.

make filling by adding all ingredients together and the reserved onion-garlic mixture in a bowl. it will stick together nicely though it looks loose in this photo. if using meat, add one egg. it will take about 3/4 lb of meat.


separate the leaves of the cabbage and put them in a pot of boiling water for about 3 to 4 minutes. remove and let cool. when cool, take a paring knife and horizontally (parallel) remove part of the thick central vein to make it more flexible for rolling. don't skip this step.


depending on the size of the leaf, place 2 heaping tablespoons of mixture on it — use less filling for a smaller leaf. put it near the base and roll up, tucking in each side as your roll. place these, seam side down, in a large pyrex or container that will contain them. add 3/4 cup of water and put these in 325 degree oven for 1 hour, covered. this is too cook the raw rice and steam the leaves further.


after the hour is up, remove the pan from the oven and remove the cover. there should be little water left. [remember if you are using meat there may be excess liquid due to the meat releasing its juices; if there is too much you can discard some of it]. carefully put the sauce over the rolls making sure to cover all of them.


reduce the temperature to 275. cover the pyrex or (roasting) pan again and place back in the oven for another 1 1/2 hours. remove the pyrex and take the cover off and return the rolls to the oven for another 15 - 20 minutes.

take the pyrex out and let the rolls cool down before serving. these taste even better the next day.

enjoy!

stuffed cabbage .... unstuffed

this recipe has all the taste of stuffed cabbage rolls sans all the hard labour. not that i am lazy. i am far from it — i have been forced this year to do it this way due to time limitations. here is a quick "how-to" unstuff your stuffed cabbage rolls. this recipe takes a bit of foresight as you need an overnight before finishing off the recipe for best results.

it is homey food for a cold evening. not a beauty but satisfying peasant-style fare which is appropriate for the season and holiday nonetheless.

unstuffed cabbage

the simple cast of unlikelies:

main characters: shredded cabbage, meat fortified w/ rice, tomato sauce & ginger snaps

supporting cast members: brown sugar, lemon juice, eggs, ginger ale & spices.

ingredients:

medium cabbage, cored and shredded with a knife

1.5 lb ground beef
1/3 c rice [i use white jasmine]
2 eggs
salt
pepper
onion powder
garlic powder
paprika
cinnamon & allspice [optional]
dried minced onions [you can sub 1/2 small onion, diced]

3/4 c brown sugar
1/3 - 1/2 c lemon juice
1 can gingerale
1 28 oz can diced or crushed tomatoes
1 5.5 oz can tomato paste
8 gingersnap cookies, broken into small pieces
[optional but really don't skip this part] --> see previous post for recipe

method:

cut cabbage in half. core and shred it with a cook's knife. put it aside.

in one bowl, mix together the meat with the rice, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp of garlic and onion powder, 1 tsp paprika, 2 tsp of minced onion [or the fresh] and 2 eggs. mix well and set aside.

in another bowl, mix together the tomatoes, the tomato paste, the 1 tbsp and 1 tsp dried onion, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp of cinnamon & allspice, 1 tsp paprika, the brown sugar and 2/3 can gingerale.

turn on the oven to 350 F.

in a fairly large casserole — i use a big le creuset — or pyrex pan, add half of the shredded cabbage.

place half the sauce over the cabbage. then sprinkle half the cookies on top.

take scoops of meat and make meatballs a little smaller than a fist or just lay the meat across the top of the sauce if you want. use all of the meat.

now, repeat the layer of cabbage and sauce but mix in the cookies with the remaining half of the sauce.

place this uncovered in the oven for 45 minutes. remove from oven and lower the temperature to 250 F. take aluminum foil and tightly cover the pot and place the lid on top. just cover tightly if using pyrex. replace in the oven and bake 2 more hours.

remove from the oven and let cool. put this in the fridge overnight.

the next day, put the pot back in the oven for 2 more hours at 300 F. after one hour, check to see if you need to uncover the pot to finish cooking down the liquid.

enjoy

recipe given to me by a friend. sorry about the bad pictures. lighting was way "off".