Summer Fresh Sauce - Mushroom Marsala

Cabbage rolls evoke memories of Legion halls, potlucks, and the jingle-jangle of war metals. It reminds me of rushing from car to hall and back again and of trying to find your coat in the jungle of winter clothing necessary to survive a Saskatchewan winter. 

No one can make a cabbage roll better than a Ukrainian baba but these luscious cabbage rolls do a fair job when there are no Ukrainian grandmothers around!

Cabbage Rolls:

1 large head of green cabbage
5 cups slightly undercooked sticky rice (about 2 cups uncooked)
3 cups water
2 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped (approximately one cup)
1 500 mL Summer Fresh Mushroom Marsala sauce

Place the head of cabbage in the freezer. The next morning remove the cabbage and let thaw. This will soften the cabbage leaves to allow for rolling. Remove the tough outer leaves from the cabbage. Use these tough leaves to line the bottom of the casserole dish to prevent burning.

Preheat oven to 350. Bring three cups water to boil. Add the 2 cups of uncooked rice and cook as regular rice. Remove from heat while the rice is still slightly undercooked. Saute onions in oil until translucent. Combine undercooked rice and onions in a bowl. 

Cut tough stems off of cabbage leaves. Place a tablespoon or two of rice on the bottom half of the cabbage leaf. Roll up while pinching in the sides (like a burrito). Layer cabbage rolls into casserole dish snugly. Continue until casserole dish is full. 

Pour the container of Mushroom Marsala sauce over the cabbage rolls and place in the oven for 30-50 minutes, or until rice is tender and sauce is bubbling.   

    

 The Small Print: This was one of several sauces I received through a Food Bloggers of Canada cross-promotion. I received five Summer Fresh Sauces as well as an Ikea 365+ wok. Recipes posted within two weeks of receiving sauces become eligible for consideration as a feature on the Food Bloggers of Canada home page.  

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Cooking from Vegan MoFo: Ukrainian Cabbage Rolls

While thrifting with my sister I found many a treasure. I snatched up a working dehydrator for ten bucks and a huge baby blue pot that is large enough to use as a canning pot. While browsing a furniture store my sister handed me a book. I opened it and decreed 'Getting it!' It was “Traditional Ukrainian Cookery”. My sister was a little disappointed that I was so excited for if I had been nonchalant about this find she would have adopted it. I did email her the recipe for Nachynka (a type of cornbread) for which she was harboring a ten year long craving. Nachynka is standard fare at small town Saskatchewan Legion potlucks.

When embarking on cabbage rolls I turned to “Traditional Ukrainian Cookery” for insight. “In the summer beet, lettuce, or spinach leaves may take the place of cabbage. In the grape-growing areas of Ukraine, the filling is often encased in grape leaves.” (pg 215) Upon advice from this cookbook, I omitted the tomato sauce in favor of lemon juice mixed with water. I did this because tomato sauce isn't my favorite ingredient (especially when it comes to Campbell Tomato Soup). I would recommend a somewhat more flavorful sauce than mere water with lemon juice as my cabbage rolls were a little lackluster.

The recipe and MoFo inspiration is: The Real Meal

Visit me at this year's Canzine! Mention that you read the blog and get a free zine!

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