Obviously, the star of the show in this recipe is the cabbage, but having a seasoned, moist meat or vegetarian filling isn’t anything to forget about either. If you make a meat version of these, be sure to use cream, not milk, as some recipes call for. Cream has a higher fat content than milk does, which means the meat will stay moist throughout the cooking process. Although rice in Norway isn’t traditionally used as part of the cabbage roll filling, it can be a tasty way to stretch out your ground meat, or as part of a vegetarian version of this recipe if combined with ground mushrooms instead of ground beef.
Also, while this recipe is easy to assemble, making it with a second pair of hands around can be a social way to spread out the different steps in a fun way. Parts of this recipe can also be made in advance, such as boiling the cabbage leaves or pre-mixing the meat mixture. Be sure to bring all ingredients up to room temperature before assembly and baking.
PREP TIME
30 mins
COOK TIME
40 mins
TOTAL TIME
1 hour 10 mins
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
2 medium-sized heads of cabbage (12-16 cabbage leaves in total- spring cabbage or white cabbage)
1 liter (ca. 4 cups) water for boiling the cabbage leaves
salt for the boiling water
400 g (ca. ½ lb.) ground beef
1½ tsp. salt
1⁄4 tsp. pepper
1⁄4 tsp. nutmeg, ground
1⁄4 tsp. ginger, ground
1 egg
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
1 can crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper for additional seasoning
Instructions:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add in one Tablespoon of salt. Add about 1 Tablespoon per 2 liters (about 8 cups) of water. Once the water is boiling, add one whole head of cabbage and allow it to boil for 5-7 minutes, or until the outer layers turn slightly transparent.
- Remove the entire head of cabbage from the water and allow it to cool off on a baking sheet until cool enough to handle. Repeat the same process for each head of cabbage.
- Once the cabbage has cooled off enough to touch with your bare hands, remove the leaves from the core. They should be quite flexible and easily malleable, but if you get some resistance from the vein of the cabbage leaf when you try to bend it, shave it down with a paring knife.
- To make the meat filling, combine the beef, salt, all spices, egg and cream into a bowl. Using your hands or a large spoon, combine the ingredients until well incorporated.
- Next, add a lump of filling into the middle of the leaf, and wrap the edges of the leaf around the meat to form a parcel or mini-burrito. Repeat this process until all the meat and leaves have been used.
- Place all of your cabbage parcels into a baking dish. Pour the crushed tomatoes over the top, season to taste with salt and pepper, and bake in an oven pre-heated to 190°C/375°F for 35-40 minutes, or until the tomatoes bubble into a sauce.
- Serve warm with boiled potatoes
Recipe and photo by Whitney Love of Thanks for the Food:
http://thanksforthefood.com/norwegian-cabbage-rolls/