This is a German staple food, and can be found at most restaurants. The cabbage leaves are carefully parboiled and then stuffed with a seasoned ground meat mixture. Serve with boiled potatoes for a hearty meal. (Adapted from In-Berlin-Brandenburg.com.)
Difficulty: Moderate.
Preparation Time: 2 hours.
Portions: 4.
Ingredients:
- 1 white cabbage
- 1 stale bread roll
- 1 onion
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- Salt and pepper
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 pint chicken or beef stock
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
Preparation:
- Remove and discard the exterior leaves and the heart of the cabbage. Briefly cook the remaining cabbage in boiling water. When the leaves come apart, immediately plunge cabbage into icy water. Separate the leaves and remove the central stem. Place leaves on a moist towel.
- Soak the bread roll until soft and squeeze out liquid. Chop onion finely. Add salt and pepper as desired to the ground beef and mix with egg, chopped onion, and soaked roll. Place a small heap of the meat mixture onto a cabbage leaf, fold in the sides, and roll to create the rouladen (oblong roll-up – think eggroll). Secure each rouladen with cooking yarn or skewers to retain the shape while cooking.
- Melt butter in a large pot and sauté the rouladen on high heat. Add the stock, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for about one hour. Remove the rouladen and keep warm. Slightly thicken the stock and add sour cream and, if desired, salt and pepper to taste.