What a week this has been!
One of those “if life can throw anything and everything at you
kind of weeks”.
Well, I decided that I needed to feel better.
So, I thought one of my childhood favourite recipes would do
just that.
Guess what? It most certainly did.
My mom use to call this dish “”Old Granny in a Blanket” it
sounded interesting and caused such excitement, we just wanted to scoff down,
dreaded boring cabbage by the busloads.
Cabbage
Mince Wraps (Serves 6-8)
10 Cabbage Leaves
Salt, pinch
Boiling Water
500 g Beef Mince
½ Onion
1 Carrot
¼ Green Pepper
1 Egg
¼ C Fresh Coriander
½ t Cumin seeds
½ t Coriander seeds
1 Red Chilli,
dried
1 t Salt
1 t Paprika/Smoked
Paprika
Black Pepper
(to Taste)
1 Onion
2 T Oil
2 t Garlic
1 Can Tomatoes/
2 Fresh, chopped Tomatoes
1 t Paprika/Smoked
Paprika
½ t Salt
Black Pepper
(to Taste)
Step 1:
Parboil Cabbage Leaves.
- Remove full Cabbage leaves off the core.
- Carefully remove the thick, hard inner core without damaging the leaves.
- Place leaves in a pot, add a pinch of Salt and cover with boiling hot water.
- Allow leaves to boil on medium high for 10-15 minutes.
- Drain, cool leaves and set aside till later.
Step 2:
Prepare Tomato Cook-in-Sauce.
- Add Oil, sliced Onion and Garlic to a pan and fry on medium heat for 3 minutes.
- Add Tomatoes, Paprika, Salt and Black Pepper to pan and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and set aside till later.
Step 3:
Prepare Mince Meat Balls.
- Chop Onion, Carrot and Green Pepper finely.
- Crush Cumin and Coriander in a Pestle and Mortar.
- In a Bowl: Add Mince, chopped vegetables, Cumin, Coriander, Egg, Paprika, Dried Red Chilli, Fresh Coriander leaves, Salt and Black Pepper.
- Mix well with your hands.
- Divide your mince mixture into equal parts and form small rectangular balls.
Step 4:
Put your dish together.
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
On a
plate:
- Lay down a Cabbage Leaf, plonk a Mince ball on top.
- Wrap and roll each parcel tightly.
- Continue until you are done.
Tip: Some or
most leaves might break. No Problem! Continue wrapping by overlapping the
leaves. No need for perfection, it all comes together in the end.
In an
oven proof dish:
- Spoon Tomato Cook-in-sauce at the bottom of your dish.
- Line your Mince parcels in rows on top of the Tomato base.
- Spoon the rest of the Tomato sauce over.
- Cover with foil and place in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
Note: Your
dish is cooked when the Meatballs are cooked. Sometimes the Cabbage leaves
remain crispy and chewy, that’s how it should be.
Deliciouso!
Lotsa Love C