Cabbage-Stuffed and Cabbage, Stuffed

Having apparently gone insane, I decided to make not only cabbage rolls and three types of pierogi this week. One large head of cabbage, four packs of wonton wrappers and countless hours of labour later, I was still no closer to answering the question of why somebody who doesn't even like making drop cookies because they take too much effort would even consider filling a freezer with miniature stuffed delicacies.

Because I love any and all types of dumplings, that's why. They're like presents for your mouth. Enjoy!

Cabbage Rolls
1 head Savoy cabbage
1 pound ground beef
1 small to medium onion, chopped small
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, shredded
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 parsnips, shredded
1/2 cup uncooked rice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 to 4 cups of tomato sauce, tomato juice or V8

Cut the core out of the cabbage but leave it whole. Place it, with the empty core area facing up, in a large bowl. Boil a small pot of water and pour the water over the cabbage and let it sit for ten minutes. (I've also heard that you should freeze the cabbage overnight, which I might try next time - I found the leaves difficult to pull off after the first few.

Heat the oil in a saute pan. Cook the onions until they are soft, add the carrot, celery and parsnip and saute them for a couple extra minutes, until they are also soft. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, transfer it to a bowl and let it cool a bit. Mix in the meat, rice and tomato paste and season again with salt and pepper.

Drain the head of cabbage. Pull off large leaves and cut out the large vein. Pat the leaves dry with towels. Roll about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of filling in each leaf (depending on the size of your leaf) and arrange in a large, wide pot. Pour in enough juice or sauce to cover the rolls. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat, letting them simmer covered on the stove on low for about 45 minutes. Serve immediately. These also freeze very well.

Mushroom and Sauerkraut-stuffed Pierogi
Heat in a skillet over medium heat:
1 tbsp butter or oil
Add and cook, stirring, until soft:
1 cup onions, chopped
Add and cook until tender:
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
Remove to a bowl and mix in:
1 cup sauerkraut, drained

Let cool completely, then cut a package of wonton wrappers into 2 1/2 inch circles. Stuff with mushroom mixture. Either cook or freeze pierogi on a tray, not touching, then store in the freezer for later use.

Tomato, Sausage and Spinach Risotto

I'm sure we can all agree that risotto doesn't exactly photograph well. However, I can assure you that it tasted delicious. And while it isn't quite a one-pot meal, it does manage to squeeze in all four food groups. So I'd call that a success.

Tomato, Sausage and Spinach Risotto
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice
3 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 pound (350 g) spicy Italian sausage, casings removed and chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
About 7 cups flat-leaf spinach, chopped (I used an entire 225 g bag)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (optional)
2 tablespoons butter

In a medium saucepan, combine tomatoes (with their juice) and 3 cups water. Bring just to a simmer; keep warm over low heat.

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add sausage and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook until sausage is opaque and onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add rice; cook, stirring until well coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring until absorbed, about 1 minute.

Add about 2 cups hot tomato mixture to rice; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes. Continue adding tomato mixture, 1 cup at a time, waiting for one cup to be absorbed before adding the next, stirring occasionally, until rice is creamy and just tender, about 25 minutes total.

Remove pan from heat. Stir in spinach, Parmesan, and butter; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately and sprinkle with additional Parmesan, if desired.

Ginger Fried Rice

Two photos this time instead of a lengthy description. In a word: delicious. Also, I'm pretty impressed that all three parts of this meal were done at the same time.

Ginger Fried Rice
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced ginger
4 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed and dried
4 cups cooked rice
Eggs to put on top (1 per person)
2 teaspoons sesame oil (for some heat use hot sesame oil)
2 teaspoons soy sauce

In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until brown.

Reduce heat under skillet to medium-low and leeks. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very tender but not browned.

Raise heat to medium and add rice, sesame oil and soy sauce. For traditional fried rice scramble eggs in separate skillet and add to rice then cook, stirring well, until heated through. Otherwise, fry egg sunny side up and serve on top of rice.

Dipping Sauce (Although it's actually for drizzling on top)
1 part sesame oil
1 part soy sauce
1 part hoisin sauce

One Pot Wonder

This was delicious. It's flavourful, full of vegetables and spices and, most importantly, is made in a single pot.

This recipe is halved from the original, and it makes a lot - probably enough for four people. The original recipe also called for fewer vegetables (I doubled the red pepper and probably the tomatoes as well - I'm not sure if the weight refers to before or after seeding. If before, then I doubled them), but I think it's even more healthy this way.

Also: one pot!

Arroz Con Pollo (Cuban Chicken with Rice)

Chicken
2 large garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
6 chicken thighs

Rice
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium-to-large onion, chopped (I used two smallish ones)
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon paprika, plus more to taste
1 bay leaf
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 lb. tomatoes, seeded and chopped (I estimated, and I suspect I had closer to 1 lb.)
3/4 cup (6 oz.) beer (not dark)
3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup long-grain white rice
1/4 cup drained rinsed bottled pimiento or roasted red pepper strips (optional - I left them out)

Marinate chicken: Mince and mash garlic to a paste with salt. Stir in vinegar and oregano. Toss chicken with marinade until coated and marinate, covered and chilled, at least 1 hour.

Cook chicken and rice: Cook onions, bell pepper, and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add cumin, oregano, paprika, cayenne, and bay leaf and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Add chicken with marinade to vegetable mixture and cook, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring frequently, 10 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes, beer, broth, and rice and bring to a boil, making sure rice is submerged. [Note: Use tongs to temporarily remove the chicken from the pot, mix the rice in with the other ingredients in the pot, and then replace the chicken, pressing it into the broth a bit before going onto the next step.]

Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover pot with a tight fitting lid. Cook, stirring once or twice, until rice is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

Remove from heat, bay leaf, scatter pimiento strips over rice, and serve.

Rice Pudding

Rice boiled in milk until it all congeals - if that doesn't sound delicious then I don't know how to help you. Rice pudding is an excellent dessert (or breakfast) because it's made from whole grains, has tons of calcium and if you throw some berries or a baked apple on top you've got three food groups right there.

Rice Pudding
Makes 4 desserts or 2 meals

1/2 cup rice
4 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 bay leaf
Pinch of cinnamon, cloves, or whatever spices you like
1 tsp vanilla extract

Bring the rice, milk, sugar, bay leaf and spices to a gentle boil. Turn down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring frequently to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom. When the pudding looks nearly done (thick texture but the grains of rice are not mushy or dissolving) add the vanilla.

Serve hot or cold with fresh fruit or berries, raisins, a baked sliced apple, or just plain.