Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 white cabbage (≈2.5 kg)
• 1 roll of bread (from yesterday)
• 2 onions
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
• 500 g mixed ground meat
• 1 egg
• Salt
• Pepper (freshly ground)
• paprika powder (sweet)
• 2 tbsp clarified butter
• 50 g soup vegetables (pre-cleaned)
• 200 ml meat broth
• 1 tsp Cornstarch
• 100 g crème fraîche
• 1 stalk leek
• 1.2 kg potatoes (starchy, boiling type)
• 40 g Butter
• 200 ml milk
• Salt
• nutmeg (ground)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Clean the cabbage and separate 24 large leaves. Blanch in plenty of salted water for 1 minute, shock in ice water, drain and pat dry. Cut the thick mid-ribs flatly. Use remaining cabbage elsewhere.

2. 2.

   Soak bread for filling. Peel and finely chop onions. Wash parsley, shake dry, and finely chop. Knead ground meat with egg, squeezed bread, parsley, and half the onions. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika. Place two cabbage leaves on top of each other, fill, and tie with kitchen twine. Heat clarified butter in a braising pot and sear rolls all sides for 2-3 minutes. Add soup vegetables and remaining onions. Pour in broth, cover, and simmer gently for about 40 minutes.

3. 3.

   Wash potatoes and boil in salted water for ~30 minutes. Peel, press through a potato masher, mix with hot milk and butter flakes into a purée (preferably with a cooking spoon). Season with salt and nutmeg.

4. 4.

   Wash leek, trim, and slice thinly.

5. 5.

   Remove rolls and keep warm. Strain sauce through a sieve, thicken with optional cornstarch if desired. Add leeks, simmer briefly, taste, and finish with crème fraîche. Remove twine from rolls and serve with sauce and purée.