(GREEK CABBAGE ROLLS)

Makes 20-30 cabbage rolls

Large white cabbage

1 kg beef mince

2 brown onion (finely diced)

1 egg white

1 bunch fresh dill (washed, finely chopped)

1/3 cup arborio rice

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tbl sp cinnamon

Few cracks black pepper

Salt

2 carrots (halved and cut into thirds)

1 brown onion (peeled and quarters)

2 lemon

2 eggs (peel and juice)

1 egg yolk

1 tbl sp corn starch (optional)

Garnish: Dill leaves & cracked black pepper

Start by placing a large pot half filled with water on high heat and allow to come to a high simmer. Whilst it does that, cut the core root out of your cabbage being careful to not cut through the leaves. Remove core and then place cabbage into high simmering water. Allow to simmer covered for 10-15 minutes. Then begin to peel the cabbage leaves one by one as they fall off or can be easily pulled off with tongs. Once all removed, clean pot out as you’ll use again.

Whilst the cabbage cool down to the touch, in a bowl add in beef, brown onion, egg white, dill, rice, olive oil, cinnamon, pepper and 3 big pinches of salt, and mix it all together until properly combined.

In large pot line the bottom with lemon peel, carrots and onion quarters before adding a solid pinch of salt. Then on top line with the small cabbage pieces or any broken ones to create a bed for the rolls to sit on.

Once cabbage leaves are cool, using a knife cut out the core, the hard fibrous part the veins through the middle. Then for the large pieces half and smaller ones leave, fill with half a palm of filling and then roll them up like a wrap. This takes a bit of time to get used to but as long everything is rolled inland not broken, it will cook fine, they don’t have to be pretty. Repeat this until all the cabbage or filling is finished. Place the rolls tightly into on top of the cabbage leaves in pot, make sure its tight. Layers the rolls layer after layer until all done, should have two or three layers of rolls. Fill in any gaps with cabbage offcuts to keep tight.

Fill up pot with water until there is a solid thumb finger of water on top. Add heavy plate to push down roll and then pop onto medium heat and gently simmer for 45 minutes. If not sure if cooked, pull one out at 45 minute mark and taste and check the rice is cooked.

For The Avgolemeno Sauce in a saucepan add 2 eggs, 1 egg yolk, the juice of 2 lemons and whisk all together. When the rolls are 10 minutes off from being down, using a ladle, ladle the hot cabbage stock into sauce whisking the whole time to temper the eggs. I like to add about 1 - 2 cups of broth. Then place on low heat and whisk in watered down cornstarch (mix together cornstarch with a little bit of cold water until smooth white liquid) for a thicker sauce and continue whisking down over low heat until it thickens (5 minutes). Season with salt to taste.

To serve remove the cabbage rolls, top with the avgolemeno sauce and then finish will dill and cracked black pepper. Enjoy warm or cold, they taste even better the next day.