Stuffed cabbage.

There are so many recipes for stuffed cabbage leaves, from all over the world, each is special and tasty, and it’s hard to choose between them all.
- italian stuffed cabbage | smitten kitchen:
Italian Stuffed Cabbage [Mondeghini al sugo]
Adapted from Rachel Eats (Rachel Roddy)
- Part and parcel | rachel eats).
- Времена года / Four seasons: Rachel Roddy successful blog.

This dish is a mid-winter delight, budget-minded, not terribly complicated to make, hearty and delicious — wilted cabbage leaves, a tender meatball and a simple, bright sauce. It went instantly into our rotation of favorite cold-weather dishes.

For the bread, you can use white bread (as originally called for) or whatever you have around.
If necessary, the bread can be soaked in water instead of milk.
Chicken sausage could probably replace the pork nicely.
And if you’re like me, and totally forgot to get fresh herbs, and skip them, nothing terrible happens since the sausage should already be well-seasoned.
Cabbage rolls are typically formed like an egg roll.
Any shape will work.

Makes approximately 12 cabbage rolls; a serving can range from 2 (petitely) to 3 per person.

1 large savoy cabbage
200-gram hunk of bread, crusts cut away, torn into small scraps (you’ll have about 3 loose cups of scraps)
2/3 cup (approximately 150 ml) whole milk
400 grams or approximately 4 plain pork sausages, casings removed
1 small sprig of sage, finely chopped
1 small sprig of rosemary, finely chopped
2 tablespoons grated parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 can peeled plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

Prepare cabbage:
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
Discard any messy or broken outer cabbage leaves and carefully peel 12 nice, large leaves. (I think the cabbage can tell if you’re in a rush, and will tear more easily. Work carefully. That said, a torn leaf will hardly ruin the dish.)
Blanch leaves for about 30 seconds to 1 minute (you can do a few at at time), until wilted, and spread out on towels so that they dry and cool.

Make filling: Place bread scraps in bottom of large bowl and pour milk over.
Let sit for a few minutes, then mash it gently with a spoon until something close to a paste forms.
Mix with sausage meat, herbs, parmesan and a pinch or two of salt and black pepper; I find this easiest with a fork or bare hands.

Make the cabbage rolls:
Lay your first cabbage leaf on the counter.
If it doesn’t want to lay flat, pare away some of the thickest stalk (with a paring knife or vegetable peeler) to make it easier.
Form some of the filling mixture into a golf ball-sized round.
Wrap cabbage leaf around it (see Note about shape up top) and pin at the top with a toothpick.
Repeat with remaining leaves and mixture.

Make the sauce:
To prepare your tomatoes, either break them up with your hands (for bigger chunks), run them through a food mill or roughly chop them right in their can with scissors (what I did here).
In a heavy saute pan with a lid or a medium Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat.
Add the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds (just until golden, not a moment longer) then add the tomatoes, bringing the sauce to a gently boil.
Season with salt if needed.
Add cabbage packages, arranging them carefully in the pan so they all fit, cover the pot and gently simmer them for 25 minutes.
Remove the toothpicks and carefully turn the rolls over, cooking them for another 25.
Remove the lid and simmer for another 10 minutes to cook off some of the wetness.
They’re all cooked now, but if you can rest them for another 15 minutes before eating them, the flavors settle and they become even better.

More:
- Braised Stuffed Cabbage With Savoy Cabbage Soup • bananakitchen:

- Potato and Apple Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Walnut Butter and Gruyère : eat in my kitchen

- Stuffed Cabbage Leaves | Tasty Eats:

- Kohlrouladen: cabbage leaves stuffed with beef (recipe) - A Sausage Has Two

- Stuffed Cabbage: Russian-Style alex’s mom’s stuffed cabbage | smitten kitchen

- cabbage and sausage casserole | smitten kitchen

Apple Sharlotka

apple sharlotka | smitten kitchen:
Adapted from Alex’s mother, who adapted it from her mother, and so on…

Butter or nonstick spray, for greasing pan
6 large, tart apples, such as Granny Smiths
3 large eggs
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
Ground cinnamon, to finish
Powdered sugar, also to finish

Preheat oven to 175C.
Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
Butter the paper and the sides of the pan.
Peel, halve and core your apples, then chop them into medium-sized chunks. (I cut each half into four “strips” then sliced them fairly thinly — about 1/4-inch — in the other direction.)
Pile the cut apples directly in the prepared pan.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer or whisk, beat eggs with sugar until thick and ribbons form on the surface of the beaten eggs.
Beat in vanilla, then stir in flour with a spoon until just combined.
The batter will be very thick.

Pour over apples in pan, using a spoon or spatula to spread the batter so that it covers all exposed apples. (Updated to clarify: Spread the batter and press it down into the apple pile.
The top of the batter should end up level with the top of the apples.)
Bake in preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a tester comes out free of batter.
Cool in pan for 10 minutes on rack, then flip out onto another rack, peel off the parchment paper, and flip it back onto a serving platter.
Dust lightly with ground cinnamon.

Serve warm or cooled, dusted with powdered sugar. Alex’s family eats it plain, but imagine it would be delicious with a dollop of barely sweetened whipped or sour cream.

Leek and mushroom quiche.

leek and mushroom quiche | smitten kitchen:
Leek and Mushroom Quiche [Quiche aux Poireaux et Champignons]
Adapted from Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking

3 to 4 leeks, white part only, sliced
1/2 cup water
Salt
3 tablespoons butter
5 to 6 large white mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon port
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups whipping cream (Deb: I use whole milk)
An 8-inch partially-cooked pastry shell on a baking sheet
1/4 cup grated Swiss cheese
1 tablespoon butter cut into pea-sized dots