Ingredients
Serves 4
I Savoy cabbage
2 tablespoons oil
1 onion medium, finely diced
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
500 g finely minced pork
2 cups long grain rice
2½ cups chicken stock or water
½ cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons dried mint
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 2 lemons
Method
These are one of my Nonna Yole’s specialties and they're equally delicious made with vine leaves. You can serve them warm or cold with a big dollop of yoghurt. Nonna always used to make her own yoghurt, strain it overnight to thicken, and flavour it with sweet new-season garlic from her garden.
With a small sharp knife, slice out the core of the cabbage. Carefully separate the leaves, being careful not to tear them. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and blanch the cabbage leaves in batches for 1 minute. Lift them into a colander and rinse briefly in cold water. Leave to drain, then lay them out on a tea towel and pat dry all over.
Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and sweat over a low heat for 5 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Add the minced pork and sauté over a medium heat until the pork starts to colour. Add the rice to the pan and stir well. Add 1 cup of stock to the pan and bring to the boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, then cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the herbs and season with salt and pepper, then tip the mixture out onto a shallow tray to cool.
Arrange the larger, tougher outer cabbage leaves in the bottom of a casserole dish or a heavy-based saucepan. Lay the remaining leaves out on your work surface. With a small sharp knife make a v-shaped cut in each leaf and slice out the tough stalky bit. Take 2 generous tablespoons of the cooled stuffing mixture and place on one of the prepared leaves, just above the incision. Roll up and over once, then fold in the sides and continue to roll up to form a neat package. Repeat until all the cabbage leaves and stuffing mixture are used up.
Place the cabbage rolls in the casserole dish, packing them tightly together. Season generously then pour on the remaining stock. Cover the casserole and cook over a low heat for around 20 minutes. Alternatively, cook the cabbage rolls in a 175°C oven for 20 minutes. When the cabbage rolls are cooked, pour on the lemon juice. Serve the cabbage rolls straight away, or leave them to cool. Serve with garlicky strained yoghurt.