Cabbage With Juniper Berries and Cream

Who knew juniper berries are outstanding with cabbage? The cream mixes with the juices, turning into a thin sauce. Serve with noodles, rice, kasha, etc. Enjoy! Did you know juniper berries have been found buried in ancient Egyptian tombs? Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. There is an extra recipe included here for using this recipe and stuffing cabbage leaves with a cube of Blue cheese.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Yields: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1  small savoy cabbage (or green cabbage, about 1 1/2 pounds)
•  sea salt
•  fresh ground black pepper
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons butter
• 1  leek, including 1-2-inch of greens, diced
• 10  juniper berries, bruised in a mortar (or spice grinder or food processor-1 or 2 pulses)
• 1⁄3-1⁄2 cup  cream

• For extra recipe

• 1  cabbage, about 1 1/2 pounds (Savoy or green)
• 8  cubes blue cheese (1/2-inch, or Gorgonzola or Roquefort)

Directions

1. Quarter the cabbage, remove the core, and cut into wide ribbons or squares. Boil, uncovered, in generously salted water for 4 minutes. Drain, rinse under cool water, and squeeze out the excess moisture with your hands.
2. Melt the butter in a large skillet. add the leek, juniper, and 1 tbls. water. Cook over medium heat until the leek is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the cabbage and cream.
3. Taste a piece of the cabbage and add more sea salt if needed. Cover the pan and simmer over low heat 10 minutes. Taste again for salt and season with pepper.
4. To make the cabbage stuffed cabbage with blue cheese:
5. Blanch and separate 8 cabbage leaves. Before stuffing, remove tough white vein at the base of each leaf.
6. Place 1/2 cup of the cooked cabbage(from Cabbage with Juniper Berries) in the center of each leaf and set a cube of blue cheese(or Gorgonzola or Roquefort) inside that.
7. Roll up the leaf, folding in the sides as you gor. Twist the roll in a towel to give it a plump, round shape.
8. Steam until heated through, about 10 minutes, and serve.