Seafood Stuffed Cabbage

STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Place cabbage head in freezer and freeze overnight. Remove from freezer, thaw and peel away leaves.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Combine the beef, egg, onion, rice, salt and pepper. Mix together well. Take a small handful and form into a small roll or ball. Place into the center of a cabbage leaf. Fold the sides of the leaf over and roll the ball up into the leaf. Place seam side down in baking dish. Continue until all of the filling is used up.
• Mix together the soup with a 1/2 can water; pour over stuffed cabbage.
• Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour; baste often with the sauce.

STUFFED CABBAGE WITH CRAB AND MINT

Steps:

• Saute shallots in half the butter until translucent add the rice and mix in with butter and shallots. Add the wine and cook over medium heat until it is absorbed stirring continuously, repeat the process with the 5 cups lobster stock adding 2 1/2 cups at a time. Remove from heat and add crab and mint and the remaining butter. Season with salt and pepper and let cool. Place 2 tablespoons in the center of each cabbage leaf and roll. Place stuffed cabbage in a hotel pan and cover with the remaining 16 ounces of stock and tomatoes. Cook in preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Place on serving tray and garnish with mint.

NEW WORLD STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Remove core from head of cabbage. Place in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil; boil until outer leaves loosen from head. Lift out cabbage; remove softened leaves. Return to boiling water to soften more leaves. Repeat until all leaves are removed. Remove tough center stalk from each leaf. Set aside 12 large leaves for rolls; reserve the balance to use as the recipe directs. Spoon half of the sauerkraut into a Dutch oven; set aside., In a heavy saucepan, fry bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towels. In drippings, saute onion and garlic until tender. Remove half to a bowl to cool. To remaining onion mixture, add flour, paprika and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and broth; bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and set aside. To cooled onion mixture, add rice, turkey, parsley, salt, pepper, egg and bacon; mix well. , Place 3-4 tablespoons mixture on each cabbage leaf. Roll up, tucking in sides. Place rolls, seam side down, on sauerkraut in Dutch oven. Cover with remaining sauerkraut. Chop remaining cabbage leaves; place over sauerkraut. Pour tomato mixture over all, adding water to cover if necessary. Cover and bake at 325° for about 2 hours.

SHRIMP-STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Bring pot of water to a boil, and add salt. Meanwhile, remove enough outer leaves of cabbage to get 8 large, nearly perfect leaves. Use a paring knife to remove their thickest vein. Put leaves in boiling water until softened, a minute or so; remove, and drain on paper towels.
• Combine shrimp, garlic, parsley, bread crumbs, cayenne, half the oil and a large pinch of salt in food processor, and pulse until well minced but not puréed. Put portion of shrimp mixture on lower third of each leaf, fold in sides and roll up; don't overstuff, and don't roll too tightly.
• Put remaining oil in a skillet that can be covered and is large enough to accommodate cabbage rolls; turn heat to medium-high. Add onion, and stir occasionally, until it softens, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and some salt and pepper, and stir occasionally until tomatoes break up, 5 to 10 minutes. Add cabbage rolls, and cover, adjusting the heat so the mixture simmers.
• Cook 10 to 15 minutes, turning once, until rolls are firm; taste sauce to adjust seasoning. Serve with some sauce spooned over and garnished with parsley.

VEGETARIAN WHOLE STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Position a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Rub the inside of a 3-quart round soufflé dish with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the cabbage leaves for 2 minutes to soften (they will continue to cook in the oven). Gently nudge them into the water with a large spoon if they float to the top during cooking. Drain and set aside.
• Pulse the garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the celery, carrot and red onion and pulse until finely chopped, scraping down the sides as necessary.
• Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil with the vegetable mixture, thyme, paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool. Reserve the skillet.
• Pulse the cremini and shiitake mushrooms in batches in the food processor until finely chopped. Heat the reserved skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil with half of the mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened and the liquid has released but has not completely evaporated, about 4 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the cooked vegetable mixture. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, remaining mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Transfer to the bowl with the cooked vegetable mixture and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Add the brown rice, parsley and eggs to the vegetable mixture, and stir to combine well.
• Layer enough of the cabbage leaves to cover the bottom and up the sides of the souffle dish in a single layer, overlapping as needed to fill any visible gaps. Use the larger leaves, as the veins are more pronounced; the bottom will be the presentation side after it is cooked and flipped over.
• Gently spread about 1 2/3 cups of the mushroom mixture in the bottom of the dish in an even layer on top of the cabbage leaves. Evenly spread 5 tablespoons of marinara sauce over the mushroom mixture. Cover with a layer of cabbage leaves. Repeat with another 2 layers of mushroom mixture, marinara sauce and cabbage leaves, until all of the mushroom mixture is used. Reserve the remaining marinara sauce for serving. Tuck the final layer of cabbage neatly into the sides, gently pressing down all around to compact it.
• Tightly cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake until the cabbage is tender and the rice is cooked through, about 2 hours. Remove from the oven, but do not remove the foil. Allow to cool and set for at least 1 hour.
• Remove the foil and gently invert the stuffed cabbage onto a serving platter. Serve with the reserved warmed marinara sauce.

SEAFOOD-STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 325°. For the sauce, melt the butter in a cast iron pot over medium heat until it begins to bubble. Add the flour; whisking briskly until it is thoroughly incorporated. Let the mixture bubble for 1 minute, but don't let it darken. Add the shallot, thyme, and cayenne and continue to whisk as you stir in the seafood broth and wine. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook until it thickens nicely. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and refrigerate.
• 2. For the cabbage, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, bell pepper, and garlic and sweat until soft. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and mix in the shrimp, eggs, bread, milk, Tabasco, and celery salt. Carefully fold in the crabmeat, keeping the lumps intact. Cool the seafood filling while you blanch the cabbage leaves.
• 3. Bring a big pot of salted water to boil. Have a large bowl of ice water nearby to cool the leaves as they blanch. Add the cabbage leaves one at a time to the boiling water and blanch for 30 seconds. Transfer to the ice water, then quickly remove from the water and drain flat on towels.
• 4. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the seafood mixture into the center of each cabbage leaf and roll up burrito-style. Pour the seafood sauce into the bottom of the cleaned cast iron pot. Carefully place each cabbage roll, seam-side down, snugly together over the sauce. There should be enough sauce to rise halfway up the sides of the rolls. Bake, covered, for 20-25 minutes.

POLISH STUFFED CABBAGE

Steps:

• Place the head of cabbage in a large pot over high heat and add water to cover. Boil cabbage for 15 minutes, or until it is pliable and soft. Drain and allow to cool completely. Remove the hard outer vein from the leaves.
• In a separate large bowl, combine the beef, rice, garlic powder and the egg, mixing well. Place a small amount, about the size of your palm, into the center of a cabbage leaf and fold leaf over, tucking in the sides of the leaf to keep meat mixture inside.
• Pile up the filled leaves in a large pot, putting the larger leaves on the bottom. Add the tomato juice, vinegar and sugar and enough water to cover. Simmer over medium low heat for about 60 minutes. (Note: Keep an eye on them, making sure the bottom of leaves do not burn.)

CABBAGE PACKETS STUFFED WITH SHRIMP AND SALMON

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and immerse the cabbage head. After a few minutes the outer leaves will begin to soften and separate; as they do, remove them from the water with a wooden fork and drain in a colander. Continue cooking until all the leaves are loose, about 10 minutes. Rinse the cabbage leaves under cool water and drain.
• Cut the salmon fillet into eight strips, about one-half-inch wide and two inches long, and set aside.
• To make the mousse, combine the shrimp, Tabasco sauce, salt, pepper, ginger and egg yolk in the container of a food processor or blender and puree for five seconds. Add the egg whites and puree for about 45 seconds, or until the mixture is smooth. Add one-half cup of the fish stock in a steady stream while pureeing and continue blending for another minute or so until the mousse is very smooth. (You can test the consistency by dropping a teaspoonful of the mousse into simmering, salted water and poaching for a minute. If the texture is too watery, add more shrimp; if too firm and tough, add more fish stock.) Stir in the scallions. There should be about two cups of filling.
• To assemble the cabbage packets, place three medium-sized cabbage leaves on a thin cotton cloth or on a double layer of cheesecloth in a circular pattern. The top edges of the leaves should overlap and the three stem sides should face away from the center. Cut out the tough white stem sections. Salt and pepper the cabbage generously. Place one-third cup of mousse in the center of each set of leaves and lay a strip of salmon over each mound of mousse.
• Carefully fold the cabbage leaves over the filling, overlapping them to form a complete seal. Lift the edges of the cloth to encircle the packet and very slowly twist the cloth, over a sink, exerting a gentle pressure on the cabbage packet. The pressure should be sufficient to squeeze liquid from the cabbage packet without breaking the leaves. Carefully open the cloth and set aside the packet, seal side down. Repeat to make a total of eight packets.
• To make the sauce, combine the butter, oil, shallots and onions in a pot over high heat and cook for a minute, stirring well. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for another minute, stirring occasionally.
• Gently place the cabbage packets in the pot, seal side down. Salt and pepper them generously, cover, and braise over medium-high heat for 10 minutes. To serve, place two cabbage packets on each of four plates and spoon some sauce around them.

ORIENTAL PORK AND SHRIMP STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS--LOW CARB

Steps:

• Fill a large lidded deep skillet with chicken stock about halfway up the pot and place it over high heat to bring it to a boil.
• Remove eight of the outer leaves of the cabbage (look for leaves that aren't torn).
• Cut off the thick end where the leaf was attached to the stem. Thinly slice the remaining head of cabbage until you've got about 2 cups and reserve.
• Drop the eight whole cabbage leaves into the boiling broth and cook for 2 minutes, until tender. Remove the cabbage leaves and place them into a bowl of ice water (or run them under cold water ) to stop them from cooking. Reserve broth and pan!
• Blot the leaves dry and reserve.
• To a food processor, add the garlic, grated ginger, and scallions to the bowl. Pulse the machine until the veggies are chopped up then add the shrimp and water chestnuts. Run the machine until the shrimp is ground into a paste then turn everything out into a mixing bowl.
• Add the pork, egg, shredded cabbage, carrots, sherry, chili paste, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, lime zest and juice. Combine the ingredients until evenly mixed.
• Lay out cabbage leaves on the counter. Divide the meat and veggie mixture among the leaves. Roll them up -- starting at the leafy end and rolling towards the stem end -- just like you'd roll up a burrito, tucking the sides in as you go. Secure it closed with a toothpick, if necessary.
• Return the rolls to the large, lidded skillet.
• Over medium-high heat, make sure there is enough chicken stock to fill it by about an inch, bring it to a bubble. Place the cabbage rolls into the boiling stock and put the lid on the pan. Steam the rolls until the meat has cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• While everything cooks, in a small serving bowl stir together the remaining soy sauce, sesame oil and T of scallions with the honey, ginger slices and a splash of water. Put this dipping sauce onto a serving platter along with duck sauce and Chinese hot-mustard. Serve the Napa rolls on the platter with scallion rice on the side.

CABBAGE STUFFED WITH ORZO AND SHRIMP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• Saute onion and garlic in the olive oil until softened.
• Add shrimp and cook until they just turn pink.
• Do not cook through.
• Remove from heat and add dill, cilantro, crushed red pepper flakes, pepper, salt, and orzo.
• Mix well and adjust seasoning.
• Place a blanched cabbage leaf on a work surface, concave-side up.
• Place 2 tb of the orzo mixture in the hollow of this leaf.
• Fold sides of the leaf over the filling and starting with the stem end roll the leaf up around the filling.
• Place the wrapped cabbage leaf seam-side down in a casserole.
• Wrap remaining leaves the same way.
• Pour the wine, lemon juice and stock over the top, cover and bake for an hour.
• Remove cabbage bundles to a warm serving platter.
• If a sauce is desired, reduce the liquid in the pan until slightly thickened.
• Swirl in the butter and serve over the cabbage rolls.
• Bon appetit!