Food adventures
Cabbage Rolls
1/2 cup of rice
500g pork/beef mince
Spices: 2 tsp oregano/thyme, 1 tsp chilli flakes, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tbs parsley N.B. just use whatever, pretty much to taste
3-4 cloves minced garlic (opt: 1/2-1 onion)
1/2 head of cabbage
2 eggs
1 cup of pasta sauce/1can of diced tomatoes+tomato paste
lemon juice/cider vinegar
Salt & Pepper
Optional: pine nuts, fried shallots, ground cumin, mushrooms, peas
1. Cook an extra 1/2 cup of rice.
2. Heat frying pan up. Add some cooking oil. Fry about 500g of beef/pork mince. Add 3-4 cloves of garlic minced (can also add 1/2 onion or 1 small onion). Add some chilli flakes, oregano/thyme, coriander seeds, 1 tbs parsley. When cooked, put meat in a bowl, leave the juices and oil in frying pan. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cooked rice, eyeball it. Add some fried shallots for variety. Optional: maybe pine nuts? Put in fridge to cool down for 10-15 mins.
3. Get half a head of cabbage. Cut off most of the hard stem. Heat up a pot of water. Pop the cabbage in, cover, boil until it's malleable. Keep about 2 cups of water, separate and rinse cabbage leaves in cold water.
3. Get the meat out, beat 2 eggs and add to the mixture. Put meat on cabbage leaf, roll like a spring roll.
4. Cover the bottom of the pan with cabbage leaves that are broken or too small. Place cabbage rolls on top of the leaves.
5. Mix 1 cup of cabbage water with 1 cup of pasta sauce (preferably: 1 can of diced tomatoes+1 can of tomato paste, but can use passata - not too weirdly spiced). Squeese 2 tbs of lemon juice or cider vinegar. Pour over pan. Optional: Throw in some sliced mushrooms or peas. Maybe add some ground cumin.
6. Cover with lid, boil then turn down heat to simmer for 10-15 mins, until sauce thickens slightly. Sauce is going to be quite watery still, add some corn starch mixed with a little reserved cabbage water if thicker consistency desired. Salt and pepper to taste