International Savory Stuffed Stuff

When I told my editor I wanted to feature my stuffed cabbage recipe this month, she was pleased. Then I realized this is the time of year folks are anticipating St. Patty’s, Easter and Passover celebrations – all great excuses to cook my tuchus off! And then, being of creative mind and with that symbolic glowing lightbulb over my head, I came up with a mambo combo of Polish meets Irish.

As you know, I relish the European and international “flavors” found in my cooking. Latvian and German are the more predominant influences, but Polish and Irish cuisine heavily figure into my comfort food repertoire. Immortal pierogi, shepard’s pie and even a fresh haggis can make me salivate and quiver. When my Irish friend, Matt – founder of Miami Club Rum – recently commented that he hadn’t tasted good Irish food in some time, it triggered this column about cooking with cabbage.

Good old Polish-style stuffed cabbage can really hit the spot, but how to incorporate my love of corned beef and cabbage into the quintessential St. Patty’s fare? That’d be an international bingo! And I made it happen, as you’ll soon witness (and hopefully also taste).

The essence of juicy ground meats used to make meatloaf, meat stuffing and proper meatballs is moisture. For my tastes, the triple whammy of ground beef, lamb and pork in equal ratios works best.

Some people use bread to build up their stuff(ing), but these recipes add sautéed onion, olive oil and rice, a perfect culinary holy trinity; I used riced potatoes for the Irish stuffed cabbage version. I must say, trying to find proper corned beef to cook before St. Patty’s is like trying to find a purple bobblehead cow for the back window of the Buick. I opted for 1/4″-thick slices of Boar’s Head corned beef that I chopped up.

I went to many Polish restaurants when I lived in New York; the Lower East Side had some classics, more than a few of them now gone. Christine’s was a particular fave for stuffed goodness. I still get great applewood-smoked kielbasa at the East Village Meat Market on Second Avenue and roast ducks procured in Chinatown – well worth dragging on the plane back to Miami.

But back to the cabbage. I’ve no fonder memory than that of my mother making stuffed cabbage rolls. Something in the air lingered, telling us kids we were in for a treat. The only difference I can remember between our recipes is that she lightly floured and seared her rolls before baking them under a tomato sauce mix. My alternate cabbage recipe herein was a total experiment that turned out brilliantly.

Take note: For both the Polish and Irish versions, steam/boil one very large head of cored green cabbage in a large pot for 15-20 minutes, then remove and cool, being careful to reserve broth. Carefully peel off each of the many outer cabbage leaves and remove any remaining center core from each leaf – that sucker is what makes the leaf hard to roll. You’ll need enough to roll about a dozen palm-size rolls. Take the remaining smaller inside cabbage leaves, loosely chop them up and place them under your Polish-style rolls before baking them.

Now, let’s get on with it, because the quicker you’re smellin’ what I’m tellin’, the better!

CHEF SID’S POLISH STUFFED CABBAGE

Servings: 6

INGREDIENTS

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 large orange or red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 ounces olive oil
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Filling:

• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• Olive oil

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 pound ground pork or sweet sausage mix
• 1/2 pound ground lamb
• 1 cup long grain rice, cooked and cooled
• 1 egg
• Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

• Preheat oven to 375º F.

• To make sauce, in large pan sauté chopped onion, garlic and bell pepper  in olive oil until sweated down and transparent; add crushed tomato to deglaze pan.
• Add vinegar, sugar, and salt and pepper, then add 3-5 ounces of reserved cabbage broth; bring mixture to a boil and let simmer 15 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool.
• To make filling, lightly sauté onions and chopped garlic in olive oil until transparent; remove from heat and allow to cool.
• In large bowl thoroughly combine ground meats, rice, egg, salt and pepper, and sautéed onion and garlic; separate meat mixture into 12 palm-size rolls.
• Layer 13″ X 9″ baking dish with chopped cabbage leaves and cover with 1/3 of tomato sauce.
• Place a single meat roll onto a large cabbage leaf and roll up (use two overlapping leaves if you need to); as you roll, fold over edges to the inside. As you complete each roll, place it in the baking dish.
• Cover completed rolls with remaining tomato sauce, cover dish with aluminum foil and bake at 375º F for 45 minutes; remove foil, increase heat to 425º and bake 5 minutes more.

CHEF SID’S IRISH STUFFED CABBAGE

Servings: 6

INGREDIENTS

Filling:

• 1 1/4 pounds 1/4″-thick slices corned beef, coarsely chopped
• 1 pound peeled and boiled potatoes, riced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander

PREPARATION

• Preheat oven to 375º F.
• In large bowl combine corned beef and potatoes until mixture resembles a hash; separate into 12 palm-size rolls.
• Place a single meat roll onto a large cabbage leaf and roll up (use two overlapping leaves if you need to); as you roll, fold over edges to the inside. As you complete each roll, place it in a 13″ X 9″ baking dish.
• Add some broth to keep rolls moist while cooking; sprinkle with coriander then tent dish under aluminum foil.
• Bake at 375º F for 30 minutes; remove foil, increase heat to 425º and bake 5 minutes more.

Plate your rolls right out of the oven and enjoy … mmm!

Sid Hoeltzell is an award-winning Miami-based commercial food and beverage photographer and former “MasterChef ” contestant. He has completed more than 450 commissioned works for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, teaches food photography seminars and is a preferred fine art photographer for Christie’s, Sotheby’s and private collections.