Lahanodolmathes Greek Cabbage Rolls Food

LAHANODOLMADES: GREEK STYLE CABBAGE ROLLS WITH EGG LEMON SAUCE

Steps:

• Boil the cabbage in salted boiling water with the cored part facing down. Flip it around and boil an additional 10-15 minutes until the leaves begin releasing easily and have become somewhat translucent. They should not be overcooked to the point where they become soft and mushy.
• Pull the leaves out as they detach from the cabbage and set them in a colander to drain.
• When you peel off most of the leaves and you get to the core with the smaller leaves it will be difficult to remove the leaves without ripping them. At this point just remove the small bunch with the core attached and place in the colander. It will be easier to separate them once they are cooled. Most of these leaves will be too small to use for the cabbage rolls so they will be used as the bed or cover.
• Roughly chop the carrots and celery into large chunks and place them in the bottom of your pot. These will be the bed that the cabbage rolls will sit on so that they do not come in direct contact with the heat and cook more gently. This will prevent them from falling apart while simmering.
• Use some of the small and shredded pieces of cabbage to cover the vegetables.
• Place half of the onion in a food processor and pulse until it is finely chopped. Add the parsley and puree until smooth. Place this mixture in a large mixing bowl.
• ​Pulse the remaining half of the onion until finely chopped. Add the dill and puree until smooth. Place this mixture in the mixing bowl.
• ​Add the ground beef, salt, pepper, rice, olive oil, and water to the pureed​ ​herbs​ and onion and mix well to combine. The best way to do this is by hand. Break up the ground beef and add 1/4 cup more water if the mixture is not very moist.
• ​A very moist, wet filling will make the best tasting cabbage rolls.
• ​To assemble the cabbage rolls, take a cabbage leaf and lay it flat on your work surface. Cut of the thickest part of the stem. Place a full tablespoon of the filling in the center, fold the left and right sides of the leaf over the filling then roll it up.
• ​Continue the same process adjusting the amount of filling depending on the size of the cabbage leaves (smaller leaves get less filling). Keep in mind that when the filling is cooked, the rice will expand a bit. Roll them up tight but giving enough room for the rice to expand.
• ​Some leaves may be very large. You can cut those in half and use them to make 2 rolls.
• ​Layer the cabbage rolls in the pot fitting them snug together.
• ​Cover them with cabbage leaves.
• Place a plate over them inverted. This will keep them in place so that they do not fall apart while cooking.
• ​Pour enough water or chicken broth to come right up to the plate.
• Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30-45 minutes.
• ​Carefully remove the plate and the extra cabbage leaves from the pot.
• ​
• ​Combiner the egg yolks, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk well until smooth.
• Add some of the hot broth to the egg mixture. Whisk well.
• ​Season with some more salt and pour the egg-lemon​ mixture into the pot. Carefully shake the pot from side to side to distribute the egg-lemon​ sauce.
• ​Bring to a boil. Taste the seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Remove from heat and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. The sauce will thicken as it sits.
• ​Serve with some warm toasted bread.
• Enjoy!

TRADITIONAL GREEK STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS (LAHANODOLMADES)

Steps:

• Prepare the rice mixture: Mix together the rice, ground beef, onion, spring onions, carrot, olive oil, parsley, dill, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for half an hour.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and stir in a teaspoon of salt.
• Remove the entire core of the cabbage using a sharp pairing knife. Immerse the cabbage in the boiling water, cored side down. The water should be almost to the top of the cabbage. Continue cooking over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, or, until the leaves can be easily separated (Note: If you use Savoy cabbage the cooking time is much shorter, at just under 5 minutes). Using tongs, carefully remove each leaf from the pot, as soon as they become soft and flexible, and place them on a drainer to cool. Set aside and reserve any hard, torn, or very small leaves to line the bottom of your pot later.
• To assemble the cabbage rolls: place a cabbage leaf on a work surface. Place a tablespoon of the filling (the size of a walnut) near the bottom of the leaf. If necessary, cut into the leaf's stem (in a V shape) to remove the hard and thick spine. This will make them easier to roll. Fold the bottom end up and over the filling, then fold the two side ends of the cabbage leaf towards the center. Roll the leaf up to enclose the mixture, making sure not to roll it too tight because the rice filling will expand while it cooks. For the leaves that are a bit too small, you can overlap two of them to form a larger leaf before filling, or, you can also patch up any tears the leaves might have. For the leaves that are too large, cut them in half along the hard stem.
• To layer the cabbage rolls: line the bottom of the pot with those reserved leaves that were too hard or too small to fill. This will protect the stuffed cabbage rolls from over browning. Arrange the rolls seam side down in the pot. Make sure they are placed snuggly against each other so they do not move during cooking. Repeat with a second layer of rolls. Top with more of the leftover harder cabbage leaves, if you have them.
• To cook: Pour the stock and water over them, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover the top of the stuffed cabbage rolls with an inverted, heatproof, shallow plate or bowl. The plate should be large enough that it covers the rolls, but small enough to not touch the sides of the pot. This will keep the rolls in place while cooking and will ensure that they cook properly. Reduce the heat to a medium-low and simmer for about 45-50 minutes. Check to make sure the rice is tender. Turn off the heat and uncover the pot.
• Make the avgolemono sauce: Whisk the eggs very well until frothy; for best results, use a hand-held mixer. Add the lemon juice and the cornstarch and whisk again. Start "tempering" the eggs by adding a ladle of hot liquid from the pot to the bowl while whisking constantly. Add one more ladle and whisk again until combined. Stir in the egg-lemon broth into the pot, shaking the pan to distribute evenly. Bring to a very gentle simmer over medium-low heat for just a minute or so, making sure it does not come to a boil. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust the broth for seasoning.
• To serve: arrange the rolls on individual serving plates and then top them with the frothy hot sauce (do not drown them). Garnish with lemon slices, fresh dill and some freshly ground pepper.

GREEK CABBAGE ROLLS ( LAHANADOLMATHES)

Steps:

• Put large pot of salted water on to boil( not water listed in above ingredients).
• Separate cabbage leaves that peel off easily, for others place remaining head of cabbage to blanch for 5-8 minutes until just par boiled. Set aside.
• Combine meat, rice, onioin, tomatoes, salt, pepper, parsley and 1/2 stick of butter.
• Place about 2 tbsp of filling in the cup of each leaf.
• Fold over edges and roll up.
• Pack cabbages tighly into a casserole.
• Pour on 3 cups water and remaining 1/2 stick of butter cut into pieces.
• Bake covered at 375 for 1 hour or cook over low heat on the stove top for 1-1 1/2 hours until tender.
• Last 1/2 hour of cooking add lemon juice and tomato sauce drizzled over top of rolls.