I'm joining Like Mother, Like Daughter for their weekly link-up, and I've been inspired by Leila's 'save-a-step' (read their sidebar for various cooking posts) cooking philosophy.
We ate slow cooker 'sort-of sarmale' (cabbage rolls) using the save-a-step method. I chopped up a head of fresh cabbage and poured already-made marinara sauce over it along with a cup of water (If I had pickled cabbage, I might not have added tomato) in my large slow cooker.
In a frying pan, I sauteed chopped scallions, minced garlic with a half pound of pork sausage and a pound of ground chicken. Drain any fat. I mixed about three cups of already-cooked rice (if you look carefully at the photo, a few bits of broccoli remain from yesterday's rice) into the meat and scallion mixture and then layered the meat and rice over the cabbage.
I added fresh dill and cooked it for four hours on high- plenty of time for the cabbage to cook and the flavors to blend. This is a very quick way to try and replicate cabbage rolls; don't forget the sour cream!
Pretty? Not really...but it's yummy
Happy? I'm always happy when I know what's for dinner!
Funny? Well, there is only one in the family who turns up her nose at sour cream...more for the rest of us!
Real? We miss the old country- where no one makes 'sort of' cabbage rolls. It is always the real thing!
i'm not a fan of cabbage rolls (i've had the real thing -- my college church had some romanian baptists) but i could see how the way you made it would work well.
ReplyDeleteis it the cabbage?...we eat it about twice a week during fall and winter (pickled or fresh)
ReplyDeletepretty much totally the cabbage.
DeleteLooks delicious! I would never attempt cabbage rolls, but I make a dish similar to this where I just saute some onion and garlic in a pot, cut up a cabbage and dump in a container of tomatoes, stir for about an hour, and voila! I will have to try this next time. Looks a lot prettier than mine, too.
ReplyDeleteFor cabage haters- my mom makes 'porcupine balls.' Sautee some onion and garlic- mix with half rice and half meat- form into large balls and place in tomato sauce- cook- yum from my childhood!
ReplyDeletethere are two Bs in cabbage..... ;)
DeleteLove cabbage rolls! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThis is brilliant. I am not opposed to cabbage rolls, but it seems like WAY TOO MUCH WORK when what you get in the end is... cabbage rolls.
ReplyDeleteBut your way is just brilliant.
The key to making real cabbage rolls is to have a husband who has a knack for rolling them perfectly ;) mine always unravel
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