Jewish flavors 101

Cooking with Masha

Dear cooks!

Time flies so quickly. We are celebrating the holiday of Purim this week, believe it or not. I’m becoming a bit anxious thinking of all the things I planned to do before Purim so my preparations for the next holiday, the one that should not be named, will be a breeze. As usual, wishful thinking.

Let’s not talk about that yet. We are celebrating Purim! A holiday of hidden miracles! To commemorate this, it is customary to serve “hidden” or stuffed food on Purim. Kreplach, stuffed blintzes and my favouritestuffed cabbage. I always loved this dish, even as a small child. Funny enough, all my kids like it also! It does require time and effort but the reward is definitely worth it. Here is my favourite recipe.

Stuffed cabbage

2 lb ground beef

1 lb ground lamb

2 onions, divided

2 tablespoons of fried onions

2 quinces, cored, peeled and cut into wedges (replace with Granny Smith apples)

1 cup white or brown rice, thoroughly washed

½ preserved lemon (or 1 tsp lemon zest), optional

½ cup mirin, optional

2 cups Pomegranate juice, divided (cranberry juice is a good substitute)

1 tsp crushed garlic

½ cup tamarind paste, optional

2 cups marinara sauce or crushed tomatoes

½ cup Soy sauce

½ cup if golden raisins

1 head savoy cabbage

In a food processor, chop quinces, 1 raw onion and fried onion, preserved lemon skins, ¼ cup soy sauce, mirin, 1 tsp crushed garlic, 1 cup pomegranate juice. In a large bowl mix ground meat with the processed mixture. Add the rice to the meat and mix.

Prepare the cabbage. Fill a large pot with water. Bring it to a boil. Salt the water. Cut out part of the core so the leaves would be easier to remove. Carefully peel the leaves without tearing them starting from the bottom. Check the leaves for bugs. Lower the flame to a simmer and dip the leaves into the hot water 5 at a time using kitchen tongues. Remove after 20-30 seconds.

Cut the large leaves in half and remove most of the thick spines that run through the middle of each leaf.

Preheat your oven to 350°. Cut remaining onion into thin rounds and spread one the bottom of a wide cast iron pot or any oven safe pot or roasting pan with a lid. Fill each cabbage leaf with 2 tablespoons of meat mixture. Roll leaf over meat, tucking the sides into the rolledup side. Repeat with the remaining meat and leaves. Place some small leaves and raisins between layers. Mix the sauce. Mix tamarind sauce with crushed tomatoes, pomegranate juice and 2 cups of water. Pour over the rolled cabbage. Cover with remaining raisins and cabbage leaves that you have. Cover the pot and place into the oven for 2 hours. Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Until next week and happy cooking!

Masha Rodov