French Stuffed Cabbage

French Stuffed Cabbage

Stuffed cabbage rolls in a rich tomato and wine sauce, filled with savoury meat and herbs for a comforting French-inspired dish.
Yield: 6 servings | Prep: 45 minutes | Cook: 1 hour 30 minutes | Total: 2 hours 15 minutes
Ingredients: 1 large or 2 medium cabbages; 150 g bacon or salt pork or ham, diced; 1 large onion, chopped; 2 carrots, chopped; 3 garlic cloves, chopped; 375 ml white wine or vermouth; 8 plum tomatoes, chopped; 6 tbsp chopped parsley, divided; 1 tsp dried thyme; 1 green apple, peeled, cored, chopped; salt and black pepper; 120 g stale bread cubes; 120 ml milk; 680 g ground meat; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 shallot or ½ onion, minced; 1 tbsp chopped fresh sage or 2 tsp dried; ½ tsp nutmeg; 2 eggs, lightly beaten.

Method:

1. Boil the cabbages one at a time in salted water for 5 minutes, cool, then gently remove large leaves for wrappers; set aside.

2. Fry bacon until crisp, remove, then cook onion and carrots in fat until softened (6 minutes). Add garlic, cook 90 seconds. Stir in wine, tomatoes, apple, 2 tbsp parsley, thyme, salt, and simmer.

3. Soak bread in milk for 15 minutes, squeeze dry, then mix with ground meat, garlic, shallot, sage, nutmeg, eggs, and 2 tbsp parsley until combined.

4. Place filling on each cabbage leaf, fold like a burrito to enclose, and repeat with remaining leaves and filling.

5. Blend sauce until smooth, season with salt and pepper. Arrange cabbage rolls seam-side down in a shallow pan, pour over sauce, scatter bacon, cover, and simmer 45–60 minutes.

6. Garnish with remaining parsley and serve hot.

Optional variations:

1. Replace ground meat with duck, chicken, or lamb.

2. Add paprika or chilli flakes to the filling for heat.

3. Use cider instead of wine for a sweeter sauce.

Note: Cook in pressure cooker for 20 minutes and allow for natural release.