The Purim Table traditionally features foods that are stuffed or contain some sort of "pocket" to symbolize the secrecy and deceit of Haman. This is a Healthy One!
Like all traditional Purim foods, this stuffed cabbage recipe fits the bill for consisting of a pocket of spicy meat and rice enrobed in a sheath of cabbage – which, in turn, sits in a sweet and sour tomato sauce. And, like many traditional Jewish dishes, it’s roots are as much in Eastern European cuisine as they are in the Middle East. During the Diaspora, Jews were spread far and wide around the earth – and, today, Israeli cuisine stands apart from the rest of the Middle East as being a unique synthesis of traditional Middle Eastern foods; Eastern European dishes common in Russia, Germany and Poland; and even African dishes brought in from Egypt and Ethiopia. What is shared by all is a cuisine as rich in symbolism and meaning as it is in nutrition.
Ingredients:
- 1 small head of green cabbage
- 1 pound of ground beef or ground lamb
- ¼ cup of rice (uncooked)
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 2- 3 Tablespoons of a spice mix of equal parts cinnamon, allspice and clove (to taste)
- ¼ cup of honey
- 1 16 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 2- 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice (to taste)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
- Blanch the head of cabbage, so that you can separate the individual leaves and then set aside to cool enough to be handled.
- In a bowl, combine the ground meat, raw rice, minced onion and spices and set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes in refrigerator (overnight is fine, too).
- In a saucepan, combine the crushed tomatoes, honey and lemon juice. Bring it to a low boil and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Separate about 12 – 14 cabbage leaves from the blanched head.
- Take about a meatball-sized piece of the meat/rice mixture (heaping tablespoon, more or less) and place it in the center of a cabbage leaf.
- Roll loosely into a cigar-shaped roll (see below) and place it fold side down in a shallow baking pan
- Continue to roll each leaf in the same manner until you have used all the meat/rice mixture and place them side by side in the baking dish. As the rice expands when it cooks, take care to not roll the bundles too tightly – or to place them too closely in the pan.
- Cover the cabbage rolls with the tomato sauce mix, cover the dish tightly with a lid to allow it to steam and place it into the oven.
- Bake for about 30 – 45 minutes (until rice and meat have cooked thoroughly).
- Remove from oven and let it sit for at least 15 minutes to allow the juices to meld well.
Makes 12 – 14 cabbage rolls.
To Roll the Cabbage Leaves:
- Open the leaf, bottom-side up on the table.
- Place the meat/rice mixture in the center of the leaf.
- Bring the top and bottom of the leaf over the mixture.
- Roll the sides into the center to overlap each other.
- Place "fold-side down " in the pan to bake.
