This Slavic inspired dish quintessentially announces “winter is here”. The dark green bouquet of crispy leaves are just begging to be stuffed.
Winter is officially only a few days a way and on Monday, winter solstice, I will share my produce overview with plenty of recipes, today I could not wait to share these cabbage meat-free rolls.
TIPS & SWAPS:
- Traditionally these are made with minced meat and rice, and it’s soo yummy.
- Swap chestnuts for toasted walnuts or toasted pine nuts.
- I used button mushrooms but wild mushrooms would be delish.
- Ensure to really season the mixture well.
- When blanching the leaves, make sure to salt the water more than you think you should and cool them in ice water immediately to retain their vibrant green colour.
- Use organic jar or canned tomatoes for the sauce.
My chestnut and mushroom cabbage rolls with smoked paprika tomato sauce
Yield 12 rolls
Ingredients
- 1 green cabbage to collect 12 leaves
- 1 large onion, diced
- 400 gr mushrooms, diced
- 200 gr chestnuts, cooked and diced
- 500 ml tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoon ground smoked paprika
- bustle fresh thyme or 2 tablespoon dried
- olive oil or butter
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cut 12 leaves from the cabbage and with scissors carefully cut the back ridge of the centre nerve in half meaning you will still retain a complete leaf you are not cutting the nerve out, you are slicing the back of it to reduce it in size and make it cook evenly.
- Add to a large cookpot water and plenty of salt, it should taste like the sea. bring to a. boil and dip one leave at the time in the boiling water, waiting when it comes back to boil, let it flop a round a few minutes and then remove. Place directly in ice water, pat dry and reserve.
- In a frying pan add the olive oil or butter, add the onion and let them sweat till they colour slightly. Add the mushrooms, close the lid and let steam till tender. Remove the lid and let the steam and liquid cook put and add the chestnuts. Add the thyme and season will with salt and pepper.
- Set up a little assembly line. Add about 2 tablespoons of filling to the centre bottom of the cabbage leaf and tuck the sides in and roll. Place in a square or rectangle oven dish with high rim. Repeat till all 12 cabbage leaves are rolled.
- In a sauce pan add the jar of tomato sauce, vinegar and paprika, check taste and adjust Eason with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the cabbage rolls and bake in a pre heated oven at 180 C for 20 minutes. Serve straight from the oven. I topped them with some vinegar pickled red onion slices.
Notes
on www.leeskandhighheels.com by Sandra Slawinski
Written and photographed by Sandra Slawinski without commercial deals. I used my Le Creuset pan as a proud Ambassador ( not paid) and my cabbage bowl from Arket.
