Cabbage filled with Beef, Rice and Prunes
Serves 6 - 8
This is a Guest Recipe from Honey & Co.
Ingredients
2 large Pointy (Sweetheart) cabbages
For the Filling
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion, peeled and finely diced (about 200g)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons whole caraway seeds
400g minced beef
2 teaspoons salt
50g prunes (stones removed)
50 g dried sour plums (soaked in boiling water) or use extra prunes
1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
200g risotto rice or other shot grain rice
For the cooking
100g whole prunes (stones removed)
1 lemon sliced
450ml water (use the water from soaking the sour plums, topped up with extra water if needed)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
AND THIS IS WHAT YOU DO....
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan on a high heat.
- Add the chopped onions, garlic and caraway seeds and sauté for five minutes.
- 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.
- Meanwhile, soak the sour plums in 450ml of boiling water and remove any stones.
- Then chop the plums and prunes and add the to the meat.
- Add the spices and mix well to combine.
- Finally, add the rest of salt and the rice and mix well to coat.
- Remove and set aside until you are ready to fill the cabbage leaves.
- 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.
- Pop four or five of them at a time into the boiling water for about three minutes. Strain and repeat with all the leaves.
- 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).
- Dollop a spoonful of the meat and rice mixture on each leaf, fold inthe sides, then roll into thick logs.
- Heat your oven to 180C.
- Layer the logs tightly on top of the stems, alternating with prunes and lemon slices.
- Boiling the soaking liquid with the tomato paste and pour over the stuffed cabbage leaves.
- 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).
- Cover the pot and place in the oven for one hour.
- Remove and cool a little before serving.