Every community has its own version of stuffed cabbage. In our home, it was the Hungarian kind, rich with paprika and a deep red color, that appeared on the table almost every week. But at my grandmother’s house in her later years, it was Vera’s stuffed cabbage, made by her caregiver, who knew how much she loved stuffed vegetables.
Vera’s cabbage was soft, delicate, tightly rolled yet small and fragile. Most of all, it carried gentle flavors of sourness, sweetness and saltiness that came not from bold seasoning, as in the Hungarian version, but mostly from vegetables. It was very similar to the wonderful stuffed cabbage made in Druze kitchens.
This is truly a pot that feels like home, a bite that comforts the stomach. I urge you to go into the kitchen and make it for your family.
Vera’s stuffed cabbage with rice and carrots
Ingredients: (For a large pot of stuffed cabbage)
- 1 medium cabbage
- 2 large white onions, peeled
- 5-6 tablespoons oil
- 1/2 kilo rice (2 1/2 cups), such as basmati, Persian or jasmine
- 3 carrots
- 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
- 1 heaping teaspoon black pepper
- 2 red tomatoes
For the bottom of the pot:
- 2 tomatoes, sliced 1 cm (about 1/2 inch thick)
Instructions:
1. Bring water to a boil in a medium pot large enough to hold the cabbage, with enough water to cover it. Cut out the cabbage stem and hard core, then place the cabbage in the boiling water. Every 3-4 minutes, separate the softened leaves from the cabbage and set them aside on a towel. You can also remove the cabbage from the pot every few minutes, separate the softened leaves on the counter and return the cabbage to the water so the remaining leaves can soften. The small leaves at the end do not need to be separated. Remove them together and set aside.
2. Rinse the rice well, preferably twice, and drain until no liquid remains. Transfer to a large bowl, add the salt and black pepper and mix.
3. Finely dice the onions and fry them in oil until lightly golden and softened.
4. Meanwhile, grate the carrots on the coarse side of a grater. When the onions are golden and soft, add the carrots and continue frying, stirring, for about 5 minutes, or until the carrots soften.
5. Transfer the fried onions and carrots to the bowl with the rice and mix well.
6. Line the bottom of a wide pot with the tomato slices. Place the small cabbage leaves that were not separated into individual leaves on top.
7. Cut the cabbage leaves into 2 or 3 pieces, depending on their size. Place a spoonful of the rice, onion and carrot filling at the bottom of each piece. Fold in the sides and roll tightly into a small roulade.
8. Arrange all the stuffed cabbage rolls tightly in the pot.
9. Grate the tomatoes over the cabbage, the way you would grate tomatoes for jachnun sauce. Add tap water until it reaches about 2 cm (about 3/4 inch) above the cabbage.
10. Cover the pot, leaving a small opening so steam can escape. Cook over the lowest flame for 1 1/2 hours, or even 2 hours if your pot is tall, until the stuffed cabbage at the top is ready and most of the liquid has evaporated. Turn off the heat and leave the pot covered for another 10 minutes so the steam can continue cooking the rice.