Susie Drage
Music, Art & Cookery
Cookery Book
Cabbage filled with Beef, Rice and Prunes
Cabbage filled with Beef, Rice and Prunes
Serves 6 - 8
This is a Guest Recipe from Honey & Co.
You can buy dried plums from Amazon.
both whole and sliced.
Ingredients
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2 large Pointy (Sweetheart) cabbages
For the Filling
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2 tablespoons olive oil
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1 small red onion, peeled and finely diced (about 200g)
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2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
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2 teaspoons whole caraway seeds
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400g minced beef
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2 teaspoons salt
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50g prunes (stones removed)
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50 g dried sour plums (soaked in boiling water) or use extra prunes
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1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
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1 teaspoon ground ginger
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1 teaspoon ground allspice
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½ teaspoon ground black pepper
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200g risotto rice or other shot grain rice
For the cooking
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100g whole prunes (stones removed)
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1 lemon sliced
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450ml water (use the water from soaking the sour plums, topped up with extra water if needed)
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2 tablespoons tomato paste
Method
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Heat the oil in a large frying pan on a high heat.
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Add the chopped onions, garlic and caraway seeds and sauté for five minutes.
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Then add the beef and one teaspoon of the salt and mix well, breaking up the meat and browning it all over. This will take 10 - 15 minutes.
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Meanwhile, soak the sour plums in 450ml of boiling water and remove any stones.
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Then chop the plums and prunes and add the to the meat.
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Add the spices and mix well to combine.
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Finally, add the rest of salt and the rice and mix well to coat.
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Remove and set aside until you are ready to fill the cabbage leaves.
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Boil a large ot of salted water. Cut the bottom off the cabbages and very carefully peel off as many of the leaves as you can, trying to keep them whole.
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Pop four or five of them at a time into the boiling water for about three minutes. Strain and repeat with all the leaves.
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Lay the leaves flat on a table, cut on both sides of the thick stem and put the stems into an oven-proof pot (they will form a base to protect from burning).
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Dollop a spoonful of the meat and rice mixture on each leaf, fold inthe sides, then roll into thick logs.
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Heat your oven to 180C.
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Layer the logs tightly on top of the stems, alternating with prunes and lemon slices.
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Boiling the soaking liquid with the tomato paste and pour over the stuffed cabbage leaves.
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Cover the leaves with a sheet of baking paper and place a heavy plate ontop of the paper to form pressure (so the leaves don't open up).
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Cover the pot and place in the oven for one hour.
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Remove and cool a little before serving.