Jacques' Stuffed Cabbage

"Let me tell you what I went through to get this recipe. Grrrr. DH saw it on an episode of Jacques Pepin and Julia Child Cooking at Home. It was episode #116 Winter Vegetables. I searched and searched and searched the internet for the recipe, to no avail. The book is available, but what if the recipe is not in the book? By the way, no one else seems to make it as a whole stuffed cabbage, rather than cabbage rolls, for some reason. I posted a query in the forums, but unfortunately, no one had the recipe or the book. Oh wait! Duh! I found the book in my public library. Yay libraries! Now I know why my sister is a librarian. But she can't cook. Oh well. I altered the recipe a bit because I could not find a savoy cabbage that was 3 pounds. I also added coriander, which will be optional."
 
Download
photo by threeovens photo by threeovens
photo by threeovens
photo by threeovens photo by threeovens
photo by threeovens photo by threeovens
Ready In:
4hrs
Ingredients:
20
Serves:
4
Advertisement

ingredients

Advertisement

directions

  • Remove the 12 outermost leaves from the cabbage; blanch for a few minutes in boiling, salted water to soften.
  • Rinse blanched leaves in cold water, then drain, and let dry; cut out a v-shaped "notch" to remove some of the tough rib of each leaf, set aside.
  • Core remainder of cabbage and chop inner leaves into 1 inch pieces so that you have about 2 cups; wash and set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat; add onion and celery and saute, while tossing and stirring, until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
  • Add garlic and cabbage, cook another minute or so while tossing and stirring.
  • Season with salt, pepper, caraway, and coriander, if using.
  • Pour in stock, cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid evaporates and vegetables are soft, about 10 to 15 minutes (if too much liquid remains, simply remove cover and continue cooking).
  • Remove vegetables to a mixing bowl and allow to cool; add cooked rice and ground beef, mix well (with hands).
  • Be sure mixture is well seasoned as this is the stuffing (to test, fry a small amount in butter to taste seasonings).
  • To make the sauce, set a casserole, or other oven proof pot, on the stove top and heat over medium high heat; add oil, onion, celery, and carrots.
  • Saute until vegetables begin to soften, about 4 to 5 minutes.
  • Stir in tomatoes, salt and pepper, and bay leaves; cover and simmer on low while you stuff the cabbage.
  • Okay, now the fun part, stuffing the cabbage (this is a Jacques Pepin exclusive method that Julia Child found utterly charming and much easier than the traditional method): Lay a large square of aluminum foil flat on your work surface.
  • Place the four largest cabbage leaves on the foil; they should overlap and form a circle with the "notch" on the outside of the circle.
  • Spread 1/3 of the stuffing on top, leaving about a 2 or 3 inch margin all around.
  • Repeat using the next largest leaves and another 1/3 of the stuffing; then layer with the smallest leaves and remainder of the stuffing.
  • Now you are going to use the foil to reshape the cabbage into it's original ball shape, no, seriously.
  • Lift the corners and outside edges of the foil, and bring toward the center, so that the bottom layers of cabbage come up and sort of cover the smaller leaf layers.
  • Keep pressing and forming into a ball, you will have a small opening at the top of the foil.
  • Pour wine and stock into the casserole with the sauce; invert the cabbage ball and place into the sauce with the opening DOWN.
  • Bring to a boil, over high heat, cover and place in center of preheated oven.
  • Cook 2 hours.
  • Once done, remove cabbage to a serving platter; this can be accomplished, heh heh heh, with one of those wire pasta thingys, or a heavy spatula (the opening should still be down).
  • Pierce the foil and gently remove, from around and under, without disturbing the shape of the cabbage.
  • Cut into wedges to serve; spoon sauce over or serve on side.

Questions & Replies

Got a question? Share it with the community!
Advertisement

Reviews

  1. Thank you so much for your efforts to post this recipe! Just saw the show and absolutely must try this in the Fall. Good to have a review as well.
     
  2. Thank you for finding the recipe! I saw the same episode a week before New Years and wanted to make it for a New Years dinner. I substituted ground pork for beef in order to do the traditional pork and cabbage for the New Years Day good luck meal. It was a huge hit! Thanks again!
     
Advertisement

Tweaks

  1. Thank you for finding the recipe! I saw the same episode a week before New Years and wanted to make it for a New Years dinner. I substituted ground pork for beef in order to do the traditional pork and cabbage for the New Years Day good luck meal. It was a huge hit! Thanks again!
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<p><span>&nbsp;</span></p> <p>We may live without poetry, music and art;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>We may live without conscience and live without heart;</p> <p>We may live without friends; we may live without books,</p> <p>But civilized man cannot live without cooks.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>He may live without books -- what is knowledge but grieving?</p> <p>He may live without hope-- what is hope but deceiving?</p> <p>He may live without love -- what is passion but pining?</p> <p>But where is the man that can live without dining?</p> <p>-- Owen Meredith</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>I'm an all-American original, having lived in Hawaii, New York, Texas, South Carolina, and Miami. &nbsp;I also served 7 years in the US Army. &nbsp;My husband is from Bogota, Colombia and has also lived in the former Soviet Union. &nbsp;But now we are both in NY.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Tomasi enjoyes a bath!</p> <p><br /><a href=http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/luseaann/?action=view&amp;current=tomas.jpg target=_blank><img src=http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/luseaann/tomas.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket /></a> <br />&nbsp;<br />Some of my recipes:</p> <p> <object width=480 height=360 data=http://w845.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/luseaann/12cdcf0a.pbw type=application/x-shockwave-flash> <param name=data value=http://w845.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/luseaann/12cdcf0a.pbw /> <param name=src value=http://w845.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/luseaann/12cdcf0a.pbw /> <param name=wmode value=transparent /> </object> <a href=http://photobucket.com/slideshows target=_blank><img src=http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn.gif alt=/ /></a><a href=http://s845.photobucket.com/albums/ab15/luseaann/?action=view?t=12cdcf0a.pbw target=_blank><img src=http://pic.photobucket.com/slideshows/btn_viewallimages.gif alt=/ /></a> <br />&nbsp;<br />&nbsp;<br />I also have the genealogy bug!&nbsp; I've been tracing my roots for at least 10 years.&nbsp; One branch came to America just after the Mayflower in the early 1600s.&nbsp; Others came in the early 1700s, late 1890s.&nbsp; So, my American roots run pretty deep and I am deeply patriotic.&nbsp; Just wish someone had thought to same me some land!</p>
 
View Full Profile
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Find More Recipes