Comfort food is really something that I enjoy cooking. It is synonym of cosiness, fireplace, family and wool socks among other things.
Well, I don’t have a fireplace… but it is always a pleasure to eat a slowly cooked and delicious meal when it is cold and rainy outside. That’s my way of getting better in middle of the winter.
Last week-end I prepared a French recipe that my mom does a lot in winter time. In French, it is called “Chou farci à l’auvergnate”. It could be translated as “French Stuffed Cabbage“.
Serves 4
Preparation: 1 hour
Cooking time: 2 hours
Difficulty: **
Ingredients:
- 1 green cabbage
- 1 pound ground meat (you can use pork, veal, beef or a mix of these three – I have a preference for pork or veal)
- 2 onions
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 carrots
- 1 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup stock (vegetable stock is preferred)
- salt and pepper
- 2 long bacon strips and 2 long pieces of cooking string
(optional)
Mix the meat with the onion finely chopped, the garlic and the parsley. Season to taste.
Prepare the cabbage: remove the leaves that are damaged or don’t look good. Without detaching the leaves, try to cut and remove as much stalk as you can. This part is harder and it is better to remove it.
Place the cabbage in cold water in a large saucepan. Heat slowly until water is boiling. Remove the cabbage, drain it and let cool down a little bit.
Open delicately the cabbage, unfolding the leaves, one after the other; make sure you do not detach them. When you reach the core, remove it, chop it and add it to the meat mixture.
Fill the cabbage with 3/4 of the meat mixture. Fold back some leaves and place small amounts of the remaining mixture between the leaves, delicately closing the cabbage for it to have its initial shape.
Optional step: Cross the 2 pieces of cooking string (X-shape) and place the bacon strips on top. Place the cabbage in the center, cover with the two bacon strips and then tie up the cabbage with the string.
This step might seem complex but it is simple when you so it.
Place the butter and olive oil in a saucepan (large and tall enough for the cabbage). Add the chopped onions and the carrots thinly sliced.
Place the cabbage on top and add the stock.
Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low.
Let cook for about 2 hours, making sure the vegetable bed does not stick to the bottom of the saucepan. You can completely cover with the lid the first hour and then half cover for the time remaining.
Et voilà! Cut into quarters and serve hot.
Well, I don’t have a fireplace… but it is always a pleasure to eat a slowly cooked and delicious meal when it is cold and rainy outside. That’s my way of getting better in middle of the winter.
Last week-end I prepared a French recipe that my mom does a lot in winter time. In French, it is called “Chou farci à l’auvergnate”. It could be translated as “French Stuffed Cabbage“.
Serves 4
Preparation: 1 hour
Cooking time: 2 hours
Difficulty: **
Ingredients:
- 1 green cabbage
- 1 pound ground meat (you can use pork, veal, beef or a mix of these three – I have a preference for pork or veal)
- 2 onions
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 carrots
- 1 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup stock (vegetable stock is preferred)
- salt and pepper
- 2 long bacon strips and 2 long pieces of cooking string
(optional)
Mix the meat with the onion finely chopped, the garlic and the parsley. Season to taste.
Prepare the cabbage: remove the leaves that are damaged or don’t look good. Without detaching the leaves, try to cut and remove as much stalk as you can. This part is harder and it is better to remove it.
Place the cabbage in cold water in a large saucepan. Heat slowly until water is boiling. Remove the cabbage, drain it and let cool down a little bit.
Open delicately the cabbage, unfolding the leaves, one after the other; make sure you do not detach them. When you reach the core, remove it, chop it and add it to the meat mixture.
Fill the cabbage with 3/4 of the meat mixture. Fold back some leaves and place small amounts of the remaining mixture between the leaves, delicately closing the cabbage for it to have its initial shape.
Optional step: Cross the 2 pieces of cooking string (X-shape) and place the bacon strips on top. Place the cabbage in the center, cover with the two bacon strips and then tie up the cabbage with the string.
This step might seem complex but it is simple when you so it.
Place the butter and olive oil in a saucepan (large and tall enough for the cabbage). Add the chopped onions and the carrots thinly sliced.
Place the cabbage on top and add the stock.
Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low.
Let cook for about 2 hours, making sure the vegetable bed does not stick to the bottom of the saucepan. You can completely cover with the lid the first hour and then half cover for the time remaining.
Et voilà! Cut into quarters and serve hot.
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