Cabbage Cake
by Miriam MeirIngredients
1 large cabbage head
2 cups round rice (e.g. risotto, pancetta, or paella)
4 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
leaves from 5-6 thyme sprigs
1/4 cup olive oil
2 onions, diced
1 pound ground lamb or lamb stew cut in 1/2 inch pieces
kosher salt
1 tbsp cumin seeds, crushed
1 tbsp whole allspice, crushed
fresh ground black pepper
juice from 1 lemon
Step 1.
Rinse the cabbage in cold water. Peel off the outer leaf. Cut out the stem: make a "hole" of about 1.5".
Boil the cabbage head whole in salted water for 15 minutes. Remove the cabbage from the water and let cool. Reserve the cooking water.
Step 2.
Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, and place in a large bowl. Mix in the garlic.
Step 3.
Chop the onions. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan, and saute the onions over low heat with a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar (if desired), for about 5-7 minutes, until soft and translucent.
Add the lamb, cumin, allspice, and ground pepper. Saute for 5 minutes until the meat is browned a little.
Add the lamb and onion mixture to the rice. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and mix well.
Step 4.
Oil a heavy pan or dutch oven with 1 tbsp olive oil. Line the bottom of the pan and its sides with cabbage leaves. Get a layer of ~4 cabbage leaves on all sides of the pan.
Step 5.
Spoon the rice and lamb mixture into the pan over the cabbage layer. Cover the top with the remaining cabbage leaves.
Place a heatproof plate inside the pan and press down gently. The plate will serve as a weight to hold down the cabbage.
Pour in 3-4 cups of the cabbage cooking water. You want the water to be about 1/2 inch above the plate. Add the lemon juice. Bring the to a boil, then cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes.
Step 6.
After 20 minutes, if you still have water in the pan, cook on low, uncovered, for up to an additional 10 minutes, until the rest of the water evaporates.
Remove the heatproof plate.
Place a serving plate or a shallow dish over the top of the pan, and carefully turn the pan over.
The moment of truth:
And you can actually cut this with a cake knife:
About Miriam
Miriam is a mom, a teacher, and a part-time grad student. Her family's kitchen is broadly Mediterranean, and inspired by their heritage: Belgian, Israeli, Moroccan and Syrian.
As always, please visit our blog for recipes over the past dozen years, and send us your recipes if you find something that you really love and that utilizes our current distribution. |
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