From Russia...

Fragile little cabbage parcels filled with minced beef and rice may not, strictly speaking, fit the definition of meatballs. You could, however, think of them as individually gift-wrapped meatballs – the Ferrero Rocher of the meatballosphere, perhaps.

This dish was one of the first to join the ranks of our supper regulars. Despite both being avid buyers and readers of books, Edward and I had found that there was only one little paperback common to both our collections, a Sainsbury’s edition called “The Cooking of Russia”. I’m not sure I had ever actually tried to make anything from it, and I’m absolutely certain that Edward hadn’t.  His interest in one of the world’s least revered national cuisines can perhaps be explained by the fact that his maternal grandmother had been born in Russia. At any rate, I was persuaded to try my hand at a few traditional dishes, many of them sadly lost to modern Russian home cooking.

When I look back now at the original Russian recipe for Golubtsy (according to Sainsbury’s), I see that my version has been pared down and simplified over the years. This is a common theme through the evolution of our home cooking – the emphasis is increasingly on simple combinations of the best possible ingredients. My natural tendency to put too many herbs and/or spices in each dish has been well and truly stamped upon by my beloved Mr Picky.

This dish is a great way to make a little go a long way. The amount of mince we would easily eat between us as Bolognese will feed four when wrapped in cabbage. This tummy-filling quality can be attributed to the rice in the stuffing, which would traditionally be made even more substantial with the addition of mushrooms collected free in the forests, although we prefer it without. Traditionally, the meat would have been pork or a mixture of beef and pork. We don’t like fresh pork (although I have never been known to refuse a bacon buttie), so I just use beef, but any minced meat would be fine.

I have had this in restaurants such that one portion means two huge leaves full of stuffing. I prefer to use more leaves, each with a smaller filling – I’m not sure two cabbage leaves really counts as one of our five daily portions of veg!

Stuffed Cabbage, serves 4

ingredients

1 savoy cabbage

350g lean minced beef

2 tbsp long grain rice

small bunch fresh parsley

sprigs fresh thyme

1 med onion

2 cloves garlic

1 egg, beaten

salt and black pepper

1 tin chopped tomatoes

750ml beef stock

preparation

• Put the rice in a small bowl. Pour boiling water over it and leave it to soak for 5-10 minutes then strain it.
• Put a large pan of water to boil and add some salt. Cut carefully round the core of the cabbage from underneath, so you can detach the leaves individually without tearing them. Discard the outermost ones, but the next layer of large, green leaves are the best, in my view. You need about a dozen of the largest leaves, or the equivalent. Blanch them for 2 minutes, 2 or 3 at a time, then put them in a large bowl to drain, being careful not to make holes in them.
• Chop the onion and garlic finely. Put them in a large bowl with the meat, soaked rice and herbs. Season fairly generously and mix well. Mix in half the beaten egg, see how it looks and add more egg if necessary – this needs to look like stuffing mix, but the cabbage leaves will hold it together so it doesn’t need to be a paste.
• Brush the inside of a large, deep pan or flame-proof casserole with oil.
• Stuff the cabbage leaves: place a good tablespoonful of stuffing in the middle of a leaf, just above the base of the stalk. Roll the stalk over the stuffing, then fold in the sides and roll up towards the top of the leaf.
• Cover the base of the pan with the stuffed leaves, fitting them snuggly together without squashing. Add a second layer as necessary.  Tip the tomato pulp (or chopped fresh tomato) over the cabbage, and carefully pour in the stock to cover. Put an inverted plate on top to hold the parcels down. Put a lid on the pan, bring to the boil and simmer very gently for 45 minutes, or cook in a moderate oven if preferred.

Serve with boiled rice or steamed potatoes.