Thursday, September 22, 2011

Unstuffed cabbage. Grandma's style!


This is one of those recipes I begged my mom to make so much, I'm certain I drove her nuts.  I knew that when it started to get cold outside, I could once more enjoy one of my favorite comfort foods.  This is a quicker version of stuffed cabbage, and the sauce is a bit different from the Greek recipe.  Instead of a tangy tomato sauce, this recipe uses raisins for a little sweetness, and a little sour from lemon juice.  This is my Russian grandmother in a bowl, not in a morbid way though...

Quick list of ingredients:


Meatballs:


1 lb ground beef (90% should do)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 large egg
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste

Mix this up and form walnut-sized balls.  Set aside


Sauce:


1 can tomato sauce + 1 can water (16 oz can)
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp sugar
juice of 1 1/2 lemons
1/4 cup raisins
1 small lamb shoulder blade chop
3 cups shredded cabbage

In a large pot, combine tomato sauce, water, ketchup, all dry spices, raisins, sugar and lemon juice.  Allow the ingredients to simmer and combine for about 10 minutes.  Place the lamb shoulder in the center of the pot, and arrange the meatballs in a single layer around it.  Cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes.  Flip meatballs halfway through to ensure even cooking.  Add the shredded cabbage on top of the meatballs and gently fold it in.  Cover the pot again and cook an additional 15 minutes.  Check seasoning as the cabbage will release a lot of water.  I find that I"ll need to add an extra squeeze of lemon juice, and maybe a touch more ketchup.  But not always.  Then you're done!  Serve this over steamed rice and....





Decimate! 

No comments:

Post a Comment