Mother's Day Fave: Stuffed Cabbage

This Mother's day weekend my Son was 1500 miles away he sent flowers but I had to cook :) So I decided I would make one of my absolute faves! I love Stuffed Cabbage. I updated the recipe to substitute tomato juice for tomato sauce and also included a Pictorial Tutorial to help with assembly.

Hope this make it easier to pass it on! 

I would love it if you "Pinned" it as Tutorials are awesome on Pinterest!

Ingredients:

Medium Head Green Cabbage (par boiled)

(Filling)

1 1/2 lbs Ground Beef

1/2 lb Ground Pork

2 C Cooked Rice

2 Tblsp Olive Oil 

1/2 C Onion (chopped)

1 Tblsp Garlic (chopped)

2 Tblsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp Celery Salt

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Black Pepper

(Sauce)

3 cans (4oz each) Tomato Juice

1/4 medium Onion (grated)

1 stalk Celery (grated)

2-3 Tblsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 C Brown Sugar

2 Tbsp Butter

1 Tblsp Vinegar

1 Tblsp Lemon Juice

Salt & Pepper to taste

Prep:

Cut Head of Cabbage in half.

Remove Core

Place Cabbage in Large Pot, cut side down.

Add Water to Cover.

(Secret: Add 1 Tbsp Baking Soda, 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice and Salt to water. This Baking Soda reduces the gassy "after effect" of the cabbage) The rest is for flavor. ;)

Boil Cabbage until softened to roll. (about 10 mins @ rapid boil)

After 10-15 mins, drain and allow to cool.

Prepare Sauce: 

In a Saucepan, saute grated onion and butter until onion translucent.

Add remaining ingredients, whisk to Combine.

Bring to boil to dissolve sugar. Once sugar is not visible, boil rapidly for 5 minutes.

Cover and Reduce heat to Low. Simmer until ready for it.

Filling: 

In Saute Pan warm Olive Oil.

Saute Ground Beef and Ground Pork in the Olive Oil.

When Meat starts to sear, Add Onion and Garlic.

When Onion is translucent, Add 3-4 tbsp of the Sauce.

Combine.

Lower Heat to Medium Low. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Add Cooked Rice.

Combine Well.
Remove from heat when filling is thoroughly combined and heated through.

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Prepping Baking Dish:

Cover bottom of  Baking Vessel (I used 13x9x2) with sauce. (about 1/3 of sauce for same size pan)

Making Rolls: 

Place 1 Cabbage Leaf on a flat plate. Using Tbsp, scoop filling and mold into cannell

Place filling at edge of cabbage leaf closest to you.

Fold edges of cabbage inward.

Roll filling into cabbage leaf, folding the ends inward as you continue.

Place Cabbage Roll in baking Vessel with folded edge at bottom of pan

Continue rolling until pan is filled

Cover Cabbage Rolls with Sauce.

Bake @ 400°  for 30 mins. Serve.

Note: For the Sauce. I wanted the onion and the celery grated as I like a smooth sauce. It also seems to have an effect on the onion that makes it less potent. It seems to "melt" into the sauce this way.

It truly was a great outcome. Hope you try it soon!

Enjoy!

My Shepard's Pie: Old Fashioned Comfort Food at it's best!

I love a good Old Fashioned Shepard's Pie. It warms the soul. It tempts ya with a crisp topped layer of homemade mashed potatoes and then you get to the smooth of the potatoes where they meat the Beefy gravy! Just heavenly! I eat this in any kind of weather, it just comforts me. Lets me know all is right with the world even if it's just for now in this bowl of Shepard's Pie!  Enjoy!

Old Fashioned Shepherd's Pie

1 lb. Ground Beef

(80/20 Ground Chuck is perfectly fine here)

Salt & Pepper

1 ½ cups Frozen Mixed Vegetables

8-10 oz. Onion Gravy

(Jar, packet or recipe at bottom)

2 tbsp. Fresh Thyme

(If using dry; 1-2 tsp.)

Prepared Garlic Mash

(May use store bought, or homemade)

Heat non-stick skillet on Medium High Heat

Add in Ground Beef

Sprinkle with Salt and Pepper.

Saute until brown.

Remove beef from skillet and set aside.

Prepare gravy as directed below.

If using Jarred or packet Onion Gravy, keep beef in pan and add gravy.

Add thyme.

Bring to boil.

Add frozen vegetables.

Lower heat to Medium - Medium/Low

Cover and simmer until vegetables are heated through.

Pre-heat Oven to 375° f

In an Oven proof dish add the ground beef.

Top with Mash.

Sprinkle Salt and pepper at top.

*May sprinkle with Paprika for added color.

Bake at 375°f for 35-40 minutes or until edges of potatoes appear bubbling, brown and crisp.

Serve.

Share the comfort with your friends Won't You?? <give it a Pin>

Making Stuffed Cabbage tonight!

I'm making an Old Fashioned Favorite!! Stuffed Cabbage!!

 I love a good old fashioned Dinner sometimes!!

It's just warms me up from the inside out. Good old Comfort Food!

Yum!!!

Stuffed Cabbage Recipe

Rellenas Malanga

Rellenas Malanga is a dish that 's inception came from pure curiosity. Have you ever done that? Said "Hmmm..I wonder how this would taste with that?" and then gone on to develop the recipe and find one of two things; 1.) Yuck..definitely not! or 2.) Wow, It actually is good! Score!!! This recipe is in the "2" category. 

My significant other brings home some Cuban traditional foods sometimes that I have to admit are quite intimidating at first blush. For this dish he brought home " Malanga. " 

Malanga is lightly described as a root vegetable that resembles Taro root in appearance, but similar to potato in texture and taste. My Hunny had been asking me if I would try to make his Mother's signature Papa Rellenas for months and I would not even think of it, for fear of not doing it justice. You know how it is to make your "Mother in Law's" signature dish...? It will never be "as good" as hers...no matter what you do. I was not in the mood for trudging along the path of never good enough with this dish. So when he brought the Malanga home I asked him, had his mother ever made Papa Rellena with Malanga, and he said "No". ~Lightbulb~

Even playing field!! Now I can do this. 

Papa Rellena is basically a Potato Ball stuffed with a Cuban Ground Beef mixture called Picadillo.

Picadillo is ground beef, slow cooked with Latin spices and tomato. It's good for lots of things besides this dish. Try it in a taco shell, or over white rice, or even in an enchilada...Yummy!

Now to swap out the potato for malanga I had to boil the malanga and check the texture. It was comparable. Even after adding the butter and cream..held up pretty well. So it was on like Donkey Kong.

On a day that my Significant Other went fishing...I decided to pop into it, and here is the resulting recipe!

The look on his face when he came home was priceless!!!  Give it a try!! 

Rellena de Malanga

Ingredients

2 lbs Malenga or Potatoes (peeled and cubed)

2 cloves Garlic (chopped)

1 cup Cream

1 Stick Butter

2 cups Cuban Crackers (crushed to crumbs)

*may substitute breading of your choice ie: Panko, Bread Crumbs etc

1/2 cup Seasoned Flour

3 lg Eggs (beaten)

2 Quarts Vegetable oil

Picadillo

1 1/2 lb Ground Beef (80/20)

2 tbsp Olive Oil

4 cloves Garlic chopped finely

1 cup chopped Onion

1 Green Pepper chopped (about 3/4 cup)

Salt

Pepper

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Cloves

1 tsp Cumin

2 Bay Leaves

1/4 tsp Hot Sauce

1/4 cup Vinegar

4 cups chopped Tomatoes (may use canned)

In a Medium Saute Pan Warm Olive Oil on Medium-High Heat, Add Onion and Gr Pepper.

Saute until translucent and softened. Add Garlic and Ground Beef. Saute until Ground beef starts to caramelize. Add spices. Saute until spices are combined. Add tomatoes and vinegar, combine well. Lower heat to Medium-Low. Simmer for 1 hour. Remove Bay Leaves before Serving.

Preparing Rellenas (Balls)

Peel and chop Malanga (or potatoes) into cubes. Boil in Large Pot with garlic until fork tender.

While boiling Malanga, heat Cream and butter in a small pan.

Drain Malanga and toss back in warm pot. Mash.

Add enough cream and butter mixture to bring Malanga to nice thick mash texture. No lumps.

Set aside to cool. Can even be done night before or morning of.

**If you have leftover Mash...it is perfect here.

Once mash is cooled to stiff, Use an ice cream scoop to obtain a 1/2 ball of the mash.

Pack scoop well.. 

Once 1/2 Ball is made, poke center of ball with straight end of a Wooden spoon.

Using fingers widen center to leave "pocket for the Picadillo". 

Fill center of the Malanga/Potato ball with picadillo.

(I used a teaspoon for this) 

Then take a Teaspoon more of the mash and cover over the open area of the ball.

Release the ball from the scoop and shape the ball with your hands into a closed ball.

Place on a Parchment lined cookie sheet and repeat until all balls are complete.

Refrigerate Balls for 30 mins minimum.

*Seasoned Flour: Salt, Pepper, Dry Garlic, Oregano, Cumin (1/2 tsp)

Prepare "Coating" Station:

First platter is your Flour platter.

Next is the bowl of beaten Eggs

Final one is the bowl or platter of breading (I used crushed cuban crackers)

Remove ball from fridge and coat in Flour, then Egg, then Breading.

Set aside.
Complete all balls through the "coating process"

Heat Vegetable Oil in "Deep Fryer" or on Stove Top with Dutch Oven.

Fry Balls in vegetable oil until golden brown.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!!

Summer Food Favorites!

My dear friend Rich Fletcher decided he couldn't decide. Rich is such a wonderful cook and has a fantastic repertoire of recipes that when it comes to deciding on just one it is an impossible task. I have to agree with him. He is a phenomenal cook and photographer! He not only can cook his butt off... but the photos alone will have you salivating and reproducing his recipes in a heartbeat!

 I introduce you too Rich Fletcher of Rich Fletcher's Good Food Revolution:


As I said he is a great cook, a fantastic photographer and ultra supportive friend! Rich surely knows the idea of Winter Blues. He lives in a Frozen Tundra. Canada!
His Photo Blog never ceases to astound! How a person that is so Deep in the frozen flurries can continue to provide his readers with Fresh, Wholesome, Locally obtained ingredient driven recipes is bewildering to me.
Rich's idea of a trip to grocery is a Daytrip to a wondrous land! As a foodie I so love Rich's shopping days. He always comes home with a story and an ingredient or two that will get the curiosity factor going.
So when Rich decided not to decide on what to submit to the Party..he gave a compilation of dishes sure to please.  Just one example would be the jaw breaker, juice dripping  1/2 lb Home Burgers Rich is famous for!

With or without cheese these tasty wonders will melt in your mouth.

Rich also has given us a choice of something fresh for maybe a starter..How about Fresh Melon wrapped in a nice salty prosciutto as seen here??

How could you go wrong with that??? 

For his final submission Rich has really saved a great for last.

Chili Chicken Skewers!!!   Juicy bits of fresh Free Range chicken, locally grown peppers and onions...a dish to die for!

This Final Summer in the Kitchen Party Blog has been a Blast!! 

Thanks so much to my dear friend Rich Fletcher at Rich Fletcher's Good Food Revolution for showing a Florida girl whats what when it comes to getting out of the Winter Blues!!

A Final Big  THANK YOU to all of my Participants, It truly has been a Pleasure!

Please take a moment to stop by and visit all of the Summer in the Kitchen Blog Party entries you'll be so glad you did!

Ken @ Top Chef Fan: Pulled Pork Carnitas Tacos

Lynn @ Southern with a Twist: Grilled Shrimp over Baby Spinach

Amber @ My Simply Sweet Life as my Best Friend's Wife: Eggs in Purgatory

Zen @ Raw Girl in Mumbai: Pineapple Carpaccio & Homemade Sun Dried Tomatoes

Chris and Amy @ A Couple in the Kitchen: Spicy Honey Mustard Ribs