Q: When making stuffed cabbage, how do you get the inner leaves soft?
— Dorothy Casey, Detroit
A: When I think of stuffed cabbage, I remember how my late parents, Mary and Joe Selasky, made it. They would always boil the cabbage in a big white pot. Once the cabbage was tender, my mom would peel off the leaves, hold one in her hand and trim the thick rib or vein. If my parents were making a lot for a gathering, they would place the stuffed cabbage leaves in a big roaster where they simmered for hours. And when it came to the sauce, the only thing I remember is that my dad used ketchup because, he once told me, it already had other ingredients in it.
Over the years I’ve come across different tips and techniques for easily removing cabbage leaves from the head. It’s a question that comes up often.
But before we discuss the best ways to get the leaves pliable so they are easy to work with, we must first prep the cabbage. First, remove some of the loose outer dark green leaves. You can blanch those leaves and use them to line the bottom of your baking dish if you like. Next remove the cabbage core, cutting in a few inches deep, and trim away any tough stems/veins from the area around it.
You can chop those vein scraps of cabbage and set aside to be sautéed and tossed into the sauce.
Once you’ve removed the core, it’s time to remove the leaves. (But before you begin, it’s best to have your filling and sauce ready.)
The most common way to separate the leaves is to place the whole head of cabbage, hollowed out core side down, in boiling water, then reduce heat to a medium simmer for about 8 minutes. Try not to use too big a head of cabbage. A 3-pound cabbage works nicely and will yield a good amount of leaves. Also, have ready a bowl of ice water.
As the leaves become soft, loosen them from the head using tongs or two wooden spoons. From the pot, transfer the leaves to the bowl of ice water for about 30 seconds to stop the cooking. You want the leaves pliable, but still intact. Set the leaves on a clean kitchen towel or a baking sheet layered with paper towel to drain.
Another method of removing the leaves is to stick the head of the cabbage in the freezer overnight. The next day, take it out of the freezer and allow it to thaw. Freezing the cabbage, like most other vegetables, changes the texture so it becomes softer. This technique is perfectly fine if you don’t want to mess with a big pot of boiling water. When you are ready to thaw the cabbage, allow a few hours to do so.
I found several online sources that suggest removing raw cabbage leaves and blanching them in boiling water several at a time. This method (which I’ve never tried) works only if you can easily remove the leaves from the head of cabbage and not tear them apart.
Using different varieties of cabbage, such as savoy or even napa cabbage, is also an option. The raw leaves of savoy and napa cabbage are softer than those of regular green cabbage and easily separated. If you do choose to use either savoy or napa, they benefit from a brief blanch to make them even softer.
Below is a basic stuffed cabbage recipe adapted from several recipes. Feel free to adjust the seasonings as you like and use either regular or savoy cabbage leaves.
Stuffed cabbage
Makes: About 16
Preparation time: 1 hour
Total time: 2 1/2 to 3 hours
Cabbage:
1 medium head cabbage
1 1/2 to 13/4 lbs. lean ground beef
1/2 cup uncooked quick-cooking (or parboiled) rice
1/2 cup finely chopped onion (sautéed if desired)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Sauce:
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/3 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove core from the cabbage. Place cabbage in water, core side down. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 8 to 10 minutes. Start pulling away the leaves using tongs or wooden spoons. Remove the tough center vein from each leaf; reserve extra leaves and line a large baking dish with them. (If leaves are not pliable enough, return to simmering water 1-2 minutes to soften.)
In a large bowl, combine the meat, rice, onion, egg, salt, garlic powder and black pepper. Place about 1/4 cup of the meat mixture on each cabbage leaf. Roll toward the stalk, tucking in sides. Place rolls, seam side down, in a baking dish.
In a saucepan whisk together all the sauce ingredients until brown sugar is dissolved. Pour sauce over the rolls. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours.
Adapted from several recipes and tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen. Nutrition information not available.
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