Lamb-and-Feta Stuffed Cabbage
Ingredients
- 1head green cabbagecored. Use a pairing kinife to cut out the bottom. 1 cabbage may be enough for several groups
- 1pound ground lamb
- 1/2large onionsfinely chopped
- 1large egg
- 6ounces fetacrumbled
- 1/2cup arborio rice
- 1/4cup parsleyfinely chopped
- 1tablespoon oreganofinely chopped
- 2tablespoon lemon juice
- 1teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2teaspoon fennel seedscrushed
- a/n coarse salt
- a/n black pepper
- 1/4cup olive oil
- 9ounces canned crushed tomatoes
- 1cup stock
- 1/4cup ouzo
Yield:
Instructions
- Fill a tall, 8-quart (or larger) pot with enough water to submerge the whole cabbage and bring to a boil over high heat. One cabbage is enough for 2 to 3 groups.
- Boil the cabbage until the outer leaves are bright green and start to pull away, about 4 minutes.
- Carefully pull them off with tongs and lay them on a baking sheet lined with a kitchen towel.
- Continue boiling the cabbage and removing its leaves in layers as they soften until you get most of the leaves off, about 15 minutes total.
- Let cool.
- In a large bowl, use your hands to combine the lamb, onion, egg, feta, rice, parsley, oregano, lemon juice, cumin, fennel, salt, and pepper. Make sure to season it well with salt. you don't get a second chance to season later.
- With a paring knife, remove the hard ribs from the cabbage leaves.
- Cut the larger leaves in half lengthwise.
- Coat the bottom of a Dutch oven with the olive oil.
- Arrange several cabbage leaves on a work surface so they run lengthwise away from you.
- Working with one leaf, put about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the lamb mixture on the end closest to you.
- Fold the long sides in toward the lamb, and then roll away from you to enclose the meat.
- Put the roll in the pot, seam side down.
- Repeat with the remaining cabbage and filling, arranging the rolls in a snug single layer (if necessary, add a loosely packed second layer).
- Combine the tomatoes, broth, and ouzo in a medium bowl and pour the mixture over the rolls.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Reduce to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook, shaking the pot occasionally so the rolls don’t stick, until the rice and the filling is cooked and tender, about 60 minutes.
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