1 medium head of cabbage
1-1.5 cups cooked pork or chicken (we used store-bought rotisserie chicken), chopped finely
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 Vidalia onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. parsley, chopped
3 tbsp. butter, melted
Remove the core of the cabbage and hollow out a cavity, leaving the cabbage wall 1.5 inches thick.
This is easier said than done. We used a paring knife for first carving out the core and then a large spoon to continue to enlarge the hole.
Combine onions and garlic in a small bowl. Microwave on high for 2 minutes until soft.
In a medium bowl, mix the eggs, bread crumbs, onions, garlic, parsley and shredded meat. Add salt, pepper, and seasoning to taste.
Stuff cabbage firmly with the mixture, really shoving to get it all in there.
Pierce the base of the cabbage with three large toothpicks to form a tripod to hold cabbage upright. (Note: we did this before stuffing the cabbage, but then two of the legs snapped off in the stuffing process, so best to do this after stuffing.)
Place the stuffed cabbage in a large pot and pour water into the pot around the edges of the cabbage, perhaps 2/3rds up the sides of the cabbage. The goal here is to boil/steam the cabbage and its mixture without getting the filling wet.
Place the pot on the stove over medium heat. When the water begins to boil, adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove from heat and extract the cabbage, lifting with two large serving spoons or similar. Allow the cabbage to cool for 5 minutes.
With a sharp knife, slice the cabbage into 4-6 equal segments and transfer to serving plate.
Drizzle melted butter over the sliced cabbage.
Makes 4-6 servings.
* Each serving of stuffed cabbage may be eaten as a slice or chopped up and combined as a hash on the plate to mix the flavors. We felt a sauce might be a welcomed addition, perhaps a béchamel, or grated cheese sprinkled over each serving.
Read the Corn Pie and Stuffed Cabbage Blog Entry.
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