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Saturday, February 25, 2012

Making Savoy Cabbage Rolls



On Thursday, I had the entire house to myself.  Nuno went to work and my girls went to school.  I was home alone and didn't have a whole lot to do around the house. On leisurely days like these, there's nothing I enjoy more than spending the day preparing a special dinner.  I decided to have a go at making cabbage rolls.  I had eaten them before, but this was my very first time making them. 

 First, I made my homemade tomato sauce, using whole tomatoes.  I sauteed one chopped onion and minced garlic cloves in extra virgin olive oil.  Next, I added two cans of whole tomatoes, basil leaves, salt and pepper, and simmered the sauce for one hour.  Once cooled, I pulsed the sauce in my food processor until smooth and set it aside for later.



 
 I used a savoy cabbage (the inspiration for this dish) that I had in the refrigerator and removed the base of the core.  I placed it in a pot of simmering water and removed the leaves, one by one, as they came apart from the core.  I set aside twelve of the prettiest leaves to cool. 

 Next, I prepared the filling.  I mixed together 1 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef, 1 cup of previously cooked basmati rice, sauteed onion and garlic, salt, pepper, milk, egg, chopped parsley and worcestershire sauce.  I divided the mixture into twelve equal portions.



 I added about one cup of tomato sauce to the bottom of my casserole dish and placed the twelve cabbage rolls inside and completely covered them with approximately three more cups of tomato sauce.  I placed the cabbage rolls in a 350 degree F oven for one hour.  For the finishing touch, I sprinkled on some freshly grated parmesan cheese.  They turned out delicious and I wanted to share my experience with you.

I wonder if cabbage rolls are a common meal at your house?  If so, how do you prepare them?  Similar to mine? Or completely different?  I would love to know! 

I hope you are all enjoying the weekend so far.  It has been snowing here for the past couple of days.   I think we've had enough!   Thankfully, it has stopped (for now).   Mr. Groundhog was definitely mistaken this year.  I don't see an early Spring in sight! 

I hope that you are smiling no matter where you are or what the weather!  Thank you for stopping by! xo

18 comments:

  1. Hello sweetie! Just caught this post as I was having a quick check of my very favorite blogs! My Mum used to make Stuffed Cabbage leaves (as we called them) a lot when we were young...always loved them. I have a feeling she used minced lamb? Anyway, yours look absolutely delicious as always. Lucky family to have you at home creating gorgeous dinners for your loved ones. I'm enjoying my last few days here...feeling emotional but looking forward to seeing Paul again too. Very hard to have hearts on boh sides of the world! Will be good to get back to proper Twitterville though! Miss my girls. Love to you darling xoxo

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    1. Thank you, Rachel! Minced lamb would taste delicious as well, I'm sure. Enjoy every single second with Esther and the children! Paul and Alice are happily anticipating your arrival! You have to share your heart with everyone. Soon, soon you will be reunited with your dear sister again. We girls miss you too! xoxo

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  2. Those look delicious! Inhave never had them, but am inspired to try them now!

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    1. Thank you, Katherine! I'm sure you would love them! :o)

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  3. These were fantastic honey, loved them. Feel free to do them anytime lol.
    Love you!

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  4. Rosinda, these look delicious. I've never had cabbage rolls but I like all these ingredients so I can imagine they'd be delicious. Also loved your table setting in your pancake dinner. Susan

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    1. Thanks so much, Susan! Maybe one day you'll have the opportunity to make or try them! Thanks for comment!

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  5. I made stuffed cabbage only once--for my dad, who loved it and talked about it via memories of his childhood. Think it was very similar, tho might have been more of a sweet and sour sauce. Yours looks fantastic and I would love to try it. Nothing like yummy little parcels as a meal. Chuckles also made it on the air--here's his approach--like Rachel's mom he also used lamb but I'm pretty sure I used beef. Gosh that was when you were a baby or before you were born! http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/chuck-hughes/lamb-stuffed-cabbage-rolls-recipe/index.html

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    1. Thank you, Nancy. I enjoyed reading about you making the stuffed cabbage for your dad. Must bring back nice memories for you. I will have to check out Chuck's recipe. Thanks for posting the link! xoxo

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  6. You know....this is an absolute favorite food of mine and I haven't made it in ages!!! Thank you SO MUCH for reminding me of this wonderful tasty dish.....and healthy, too!!! What a love you are!! YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Have a delightful rest of your weekend....
    xoxo

    Joann

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  7. Thank you, dear Joann. I'm glad I could bring back memories of a forgotten favorite dish! Hope you have a wonderful day, sweetie. Keep warm! xoxo

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  8. They do look yummy, Rosinda :) Did you notice the picture of the hamburg mixed in with the ingredients looks like a bouquet of flowers? As I was reading the blog, it kept taking my attention on how pretty it was,, UNTIL i read what it was lol!!

    Love,
    Denise of Ingleside, PEI

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  9. Thank you, Denise. No, I hadn't noticed, but now that you mentioned it, I see what you mean. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! xoxo

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  10. Yum. I love stuffed cabbage too, but I've only made it a couple of times. Thanks for reminding me to make it! Yours looks delicious -- do your neighbors show up on your doorstep at dinnertime? If they see this blog they might! xoxo

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  11. Thank you, Janie! No, no neighbours showing up at my door. LOL! None of them know about my blog. xoxo

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  12. I just called Chris over to look at your pictures because this looks SO delicious! It's one of our favorite meals, too. Yum!

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