I'll admit to you that I'm a bit jealous of my sister, Jamie. Probably for several reasons, but mostly because Mom is there with her and will be until the snow melts in Boone, cooking things like this! This is stuffed cabbage, dolmathes in Greek, and they are amazing! Mom makes them better than anyone, improving the recipe found in our favorite Greek cookbook by adding her own touch to it. Jamie had to rub it in by sending me this picture the other night...I guess I'm going to have to make them myself. Here's the recipe, including Mom's improvements. Enjoy!
Greek Stuffed Cabbage-Dolmathes
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 lbs ground beef
Half a large can of whole, peeled tomato, crushed with your hands
1/2 cup of rice, preferably short grain
2 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 teas of dried oregano
1/4 teas of cinnamon
salt and pepper 2 teas salt 1 teas pepper
2 Cups hot stock or water
24-30 cabbage leaves
3 eggs
2 lemons
1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
-Blanch the cabbage leaves in boiling, salted water for 7 minutes. Drain and cut out the thick center of the larger leaves.
-Meanwhile, gently fry the onion in olive oil until soft.
-Mix the raw meat and rice with the onion, 1/2 a large can of tomato, parsley, oregano, cinnamon, 2 tsp.kosher salt and 1 tsp. pepper.
-Place a portion of stuffing on base of leaf, turn up base, fold in sides and wrap firmly into a neat roll.
-Line a deep pan with cabbage leaves. Pack rolls close together, seam side down.
-Invert a heavy plate on top of the leaves (to keep them from floating and unrolling!) Cover pan tightly.
-Simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours.
-When done, drain off stock/water carefully and pour it in a smaller saucepan. Reduce it to 1 1/2 cups over heat. Then thicken it with some cornstarch mixed with water. Boil 1 minute.
-Beat egg whites in a bowl until stiff. Add the yolks and beat thoroughly.
-Gradually beat in the lemon juice, followed by the boiling stock.
-Return sauce to the stock pan, cook over low heat stirring constantly for a few minutes. Do not boil or you'll have scrambled eggs! Add salt and pepper to taste.
-Arrange rolls on a serving dish, pour sauce over the top, and enjoy!
***Grape leaves can be used instead of cabbage. They come in a jar, so no need to blanch them. This would make 40-50 grape leaves since they are smaller, more for an appetizer than a meal.***
PS...Our favorite Greek cookbook is called "Greek Cooking for Pleasure" by Tess Mallos. It's one that Mom has had for many years, way back to when we lived in New York, and it's one of the few cookbooks she uses! It's out of print, sadly, but we've all managed to acquire a copy of it, on ebay or such. Here is the link to Amazon where you can get your own used copy of it. Greek cooking for pleasure
