I saw a recipe recently that I wanted to try (and adapt). It was called Turkish Cabbage Wraps, but it seemed to be a variation of Greek dolmas (grapeleaves). Slavic cooking also has a cabbage roll, but this is definitely not it.
2lbs of 100% ground.......it was more dense than we're accustomed to, but the flavor was far superior than mixing in unknown fat
1.5% by weight salt, a bunch of dill, garlic powder, oregano, & black pepper. Dice half a white onion & mix it in as well
1/2C rice, par cooked, and salted a bit heavier than you would've done for just a side dish. Use about 3/4C water instead of a full 1C. It can't be fully cooked, but let it cool so it'll mix in the meat
Once everything was mixed well, I covered it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight.
To prep the cabbage leaves, boil a whole head of cabbage for about 7 mins. Let it drain, then stem-up on the cutting board, remove the core and outer layers of leaves. Boil the remainder for another few mins. to get those leaves too.
2 lbs of meat turned into 4 lbs. of mix once the rice and onion were all incorporated. I weighed out portions (4oz mix for big leaves, and 3 oz. mix for smaller ones) and shaped them into little logs. They're easy to wrap, then place in a baking dish. I used about a cup or so of beef stock poured in. The cabbage leaves were still slightly firm, so you'll probably want enough liquid to come halfway up the wraps to cook them softer. Tightly cover the dish in foil, then bake in a 375°F oven for about an hour.
SAUCE:
2C chicken stock + 1 Extra Cup. I used a mix of homemade venison & chicken stocks I had in the freezer.
Squeeze the juice from 3-4 lemons & simmer with 2C of stock until almost a boil. Season with dill, oregano, & salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk 2 TBSP of corn starch into the 1C extra of stock. Whisk until smooth. Once smooth, whisk this slurry into the main pot of sauce, and bubble until thickened a bit. Consistency should be about as runny as maple syrup.
Salt to taste and spoon over the cabbage rolls. This dish goes well served with white rice.
2lbs of 100% ground.......it was more dense than we're accustomed to, but the flavor was far superior than mixing in unknown fat
1.5% by weight salt, a bunch of dill, garlic powder, oregano, & black pepper. Dice half a white onion & mix it in as well
1/2C rice, par cooked, and salted a bit heavier than you would've done for just a side dish. Use about 3/4C water instead of a full 1C. It can't be fully cooked, but let it cool so it'll mix in the meat
Once everything was mixed well, I covered it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight.
To prep the cabbage leaves, boil a whole head of cabbage for about 7 mins. Let it drain, then stem-up on the cutting board, remove the core and outer layers of leaves. Boil the remainder for another few mins. to get those leaves too.
2 lbs of meat turned into 4 lbs. of mix once the rice and onion were all incorporated. I weighed out portions (4oz mix for big leaves, and 3 oz. mix for smaller ones) and shaped them into little logs. They're easy to wrap, then place in a baking dish. I used about a cup or so of beef stock poured in. The cabbage leaves were still slightly firm, so you'll probably want enough liquid to come halfway up the wraps to cook them softer. Tightly cover the dish in foil, then bake in a 375°F oven for about an hour.
SAUCE:
2C chicken stock + 1 Extra Cup. I used a mix of homemade venison & chicken stocks I had in the freezer.
Squeeze the juice from 3-4 lemons & simmer with 2C of stock until almost a boil. Season with dill, oregano, & salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk 2 TBSP of corn starch into the 1C extra of stock. Whisk until smooth. Once smooth, whisk this slurry into the main pot of sauce, and bubble until thickened a bit. Consistency should be about as runny as maple syrup.
Salt to taste and spoon over the cabbage rolls. This dish goes well served with white rice.
