Below is a dinner we had last week that makes use of “in season” produce: cabbage and Italian kale. It also demonstrates my frugal habits.
Italian Stuffed Cabbage
This dish goes well with mashed potatoes. I served Mashed Potatoes with Kale to make the dish a bit healthier, plus we like mashed potatoes mixed with greens. Swiss chard also works well. See the recipe below.
Makes 8 rolls
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cabbage
Meat Filling
- 1/2 lb lean ground beef, turkey or chicken
- ½ cup shredded carrot
- 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- ¼ cup dried Italian bread crumbs
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup cubed mozzarella cheese
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Sauce
- 2 cups strained or crushed Italian tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (chili)
- Half of a small onion, sliced thin
Directions
Prepare the cabbage:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Discard any discolored or broken outer cabbage leaves. Remove the cabbage core and carefully peel 8 large leaves off the head. Blanch leaves for 1 minute (half at time), until wilted and spread them out on kitchen towels so that they dry and cool.
I saved the rest of the cabbage for our St. Patrick’s Day dinner.
Make the filling:
Combine all the meat filling ingredients with a pinch or two of salt and black pepper.
Make the cabbage rolls:
Form some of the meat filling mixture into a golf ball-sized rounds and place on the cooled cabbage leaves. Fold in the sides of the cabbage leaves and roll up jelly roll style wrapping the cabbage around the filling.. Repeat with the remaining leaves and mixture.
Make the sauce:
In a casserole dish large enough to hold the cabbage rolls, combine the sauce ingredients.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Add the cabbage packages, arranging them carefully in the pan so that the stuffing remains intact. Cover the dish with foil a and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Uncover the baking dish and continue to bake for 15 minutes more.
Mashed Potatoes With Kale
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes, scrubbed and peeled
- Salt
- 1 pound (1 large bunch) kale, either curly or cavolo nero, with the ribs removed and the leaves washed
- 1-1/4 cups low-fat milk
- 2 garlic cloves
- Freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Directions
Cover the potatoes with water in a saucepan, add 1/2 tablespoon of salt and the garlic and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover partially and cook until tender about 30 to 40 minutes. Drain off the water, return the potatoes with the garlic to the pan and mash with a potato masher.
While the potatoes are cooking bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and add the kale. Cook the kale for 4 to 6 minutes (after the water returns to the boil) until the leaves are tender but still bright green. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes, drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop into small pieces and add the olive oil.
Stir the chopped kale into the hot mashed potatoes along with the milk. Add salt to taste and freshly ground pepper.
