Stuffed Cabbage Leaves

This week at our CSA, we're getting:

• Russett potatoes
• Carrots
• Sweet corn
• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Apples
• Green cabbage

Having consulted my husband for his choice of several tasty cabbage options for this week's dinners, he has elected one of our favorites: stuffed cabbage leaves, which I make with mashed potatoes that then receive the tasty sauce that goes with this recipe. It's important for us to make our cabbage determination early: now I know that I can't just split the head down the middle with our share partners, because we'll need whole leaves for this recipe. I'll either have to trade with them for it (maybe I'll swap them the cauliflower), or I'll need to take the outer leaves and offer them the inner ones.

I've adapted this recipe from one from RecipeSource, halving the original and integrating a few suggestions from other similar recipes until it comes out the way we like it. Sometimes I make the sauce listed with the recipe, and sometimes I just use the cooking juices as is - either way is delicious.

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Stuffed Cabbage Leaves

Cabbage Rolls:
1/3 cup short grain rice
12 - 14 whole cabbage leaves
1 small or 1/2 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 Tbsp - 1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1 tomato, finely chopped
2 carrots, diced small
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tsp dried)
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh dill or mint (or 1/2 tsp dried)
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
sprinkling of salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup hot stock or water
2 tsp butter, melted
chopped dill or parsley, for garnish

Sauce (optional):
1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 egg, separated
1/2 lemon, juiced, or 1 Tbsp lemon juice

Pour boiling water over rice and let it soak 15 minutes, then drain.

Blanch cabbage leaves in boiling salted water for 5 minutes until softened. Drain and cut out thick center of larger leaves (very large leaves may be cut in half); save trimmings for later. Set prepared leaves aside.

Gently fry onion and diced carrots in oil until soft. Mix into meat with rice, egg, tomato, parsley, dill or mint, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.

Place one portion of stuffing on base of cabbage leaf. Turn up base, fold in sides, and wrap firmly into a neat roll. Repeat with remaining leaves and stuffing until all are used.

Combine stock or water, butter, and salt and pepper to taste. In a deep pan lined with trimmings from cabbage leaves, place cabbage rolls close together, seam sides down. Pour stock or water mixture over rolls. Invert a heavy plate on top of rolls and cover pan tightly. Simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours, adding more stock or water if needed.

When cooked, drain off stock carefully. Either use as is, or make sauce, as follows.

For sauce: put drained-off stock into small saucepan. Reduce to 3/4 cup over heat and thicken with cornstarch mixed to a paste with a little cold water. Let it boil 1 minute.

Beat egg whites in a bowl until stiff, add yolks and beat thoroughly. Gradually beat in lemon juice, then boiling stock. Return sauce to saucepan, place over low heat, and stir constantly until egg is cooked - do not boil.

Arrange rolls on a heated serving dish and spoon some of the sauce over them. Garnish with chopped dill or parsley and serve remaining sauce separately. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Serves 4 (and if anyone's doing Weight Watchers, it's 5 points per serving with sauce, or 4 points without - if you're sparing with the oil for frying the onions. As for the mashed potatoes, I make no promises!)