So I made a test batch of cabbage rolls for my friend’s party and then another batch at his house. I used the same recipe except for a few spices, and all in all, both worked just fine. Since my friend and I eat partly raw I figured I’d do the raw substitute for rice and use cauliflower “rice” (aka grated cauliflower. If you don’t have a mandolin or an easy way to grate cauliflower, well, I’m sorry for you. I also think in that case you should just use rice). I also did my test batch with nori wrapers instead of cabbage leaves out of practicality. That would be a whole lot of leftover cabbage in my fridge when I had a pan’s worth of rolls to get through.
Eating a lot of these might be tricky for digestion – all that cabbage and vinegar – but it certainly adds a pucker to your lips. I guess I’m a little late for Valentines Day, but that was my sorry effort at being a romantic writer. Ah well.
I’m a big fan or saying anything goes stuffing-wise. So if you hate rice and love parsnips, try grated parsnips. If you want some protein add some nuts or lentils or cooked beans. Just make sure there’s enough liquid. If you’re vegan, leave out the egg. Really you barely need to bake this if you use cauliflower or another vegetable instead of the rice, but there’s something comforting about sticking the dish in the oven and letting all the flavours come together. You do also need to cook the egg once combined with the filling. Originally I’d planned to make it all raw, but cabbage rolls just shouldn’t be served room cold. At least not when they’re freshly compiled.
Vegetarian Cauliflower Cabbage Rolls
1 green savoy cabbage (or nori seaweed sheets, or rice paper rolls even if you don’t want to have a bunch of cabbage leftover or eat more cabbage than you have to)
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
1-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried marjoram or dried oregano (my friend is Greek so I used both…When do I ever follow a recipe properly?)
1/2 tsp dried thyme (or fresh)
1/4 tsp caraway seeds , crushed (optional)
2 cups grated cauliflower (or 1 cup long-grain white rice)
1 cups vegetable stock or water. It honestly doesn’t make much of a difference because the vinegar of the sauerkraut overpowers everything subtle about the dish. (Use 2 cups broth or water if you use rice)
1 carrot, grated
1 zucchini, grated
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 egg , beaten
1 can (28 oz/796 mL) sauerkraut, drained (trade for jam if you can)
1/4 cup tomato paste
2-1/2 cups tomato juice (or use a different tomato sauce in place of the paste and juice. It’s kind of a lacklustre sauce, but since it just gets swallowed up in the vinegar of the sauerkraut it really doesn’t matter)
Instructions:
First, try to remove core from the cabbage. I dare you. It’s not as easy as the original recipe lead me to believe, but it’s key to being able to remove the outer leaves cleanly in the next step. Fortunately I didn’t care about neat cabbage rolls. I’m a big fan of messy food).
Then, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cover and cook the entire cared cabbage for 8 to 10 minutes or until the leaves are softened and “easy” to remove. Hah, recipe. Right…This only works if you properly cored the cabbage.
Remove the cabbage from the water but don’t drain the water yet. Chill the cabbage in cold water and then carefully remove 12 (or more) leaves, returning cabbage to pan for 2 to 3 minutes if the leaves become difficult to remove. Drain the leaves on towels. “Pare off coarse veins”. All the cabbage has is coarse veins! And of course you didn’t think about that when you were removing the leaves. And even if you had there was really nothing to be done about it. So I say screw it. Set the leaves aside and wash your hands of them, for now.
In a large saucepan or skillet, heat the oil over medium heat; when hot add the onion, garlic, marjoram, oregano thyme, and caraway seeds (if using) for 5 minutes or until softened.
Stir in the cauliflower or rice. Add the stock and bring to boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 8 minutes (or 20 minutes for rice) until cauliflower is tender. Stir in carrot, zucchini, salt and pepper. Boil off excess liquid if using nori or rice paper wrappers. Cabbage leaves can’t really get soggy.
Let the filling cool to room temperature then stir in the egg. If you stir it in while the mixture is hot it’ll scramble.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Line a 13- x 9-inch (3 L) baking dish (or casserole dish with a lid) with half of the sauerkraut. Spoon about 1/3 cup (75 mL) onto each leaf (or nori) just above stem. Fold bottom and sides over filling. Roll up leaf and place on top of the sauerkraut. There’s probably technique to this, like fajitas or spring rolls, but just fold in the sides and then roll up from the bottom and you’ll be fine. So what if a little spills? You can make them as big or small as you want (and your leaves will allow), so if you’re going to a potluck small is probably better. That way everyone can try a little before wasting a ton of cabbage roll if they don’t like it, or if they love it, they get a higher roll:filling ratio.
Cover the arranged rolls with the rest of the sauerkraut. Whisk the tomato paste and tomato juice together and pour over the rolls. 
Cover with foil or the casserole dish lid. Bake in the preheated oven for 2 hours or until tender.
Neither one of these really looks delicious, but above the version made with nori wrappers, and below is the version made with cabbage leaves. Both taste very, very good.
Leave a Reply