Stuffed cabbage rolls
These beauties were actually inspired by social media. There is an exciting trend of sharing videos of recipes on TikTok.
SERVES
4
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
10
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
35
MINUTES
Ingredients
10-12 spring or savoy cabbage leaves, the outer green ones are best. Washed well
200g cooked basmati rice
1 medium onion, finely chopped
Small handful of pine nuts, toasted
1 tablespoon of finely chopped preserved lemon peel
Handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Tablespoon of thyme leaves
1 egg, beaten
Sea salt
Black pepper
Sumac
Olive oil
50g butter
Method
Place the cabbage leaves in a large pot of boiling salted water over medium high heat. Do this in batches if needs be. Cook for around 2 minutes, just enough for them to become workable but still retain their vibrant green colour and a little bit. Cut out any central stalks.
Transfer the blanched leaves to a large bowl of cold or iced water to cool. Drain the leaves and gently pat dry with a kitchen towel.
Place a frying pan over a medium-high heat with a drizzle of olive oil and add the chopped onion. Turn down the heat slightly and cook for around 3-4 minutes until starting to soften.
Season lightly with sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper and add the chopped up preserved lemon. Cook for a further 5 minutes until the onion has turned translucent and the preserved lemon has softened and become fragrant. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool.
In a large bowl mix together the cooked rice, onion and preserved lemon, toasted pine nuts, thyme leaves, chopped parsley and beaten egg.
Season with a pinch of sea salt, few cracks of black pepper and a teaspoon of sumac.
Make the rolls by placing a heaped tablespoon or two of the rice filling in the middle of a cabbage leaf. Fold in all the sides so that you get a nice compact, slightly oblong little dumpling. Arrange the cabbage rolls seam side down in a frying pan or skillet on medium-high. Add butter to the pan along with around 120ml of water. Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot and leave to steam for around 15 to 20 minutes.
