Sweet and Sour Cabbage - Unstuffed

Inside Out Rolled Cabbage

I have been buying the most beautiful slightly sweet tasting fresh cabbage at a local farm stand that is actually known for their strawberries. …The best-kept secret is the other veggies that are sometimes available here are deliciously fresh too.  Wherever you live fresh cabbage is readily available this time of year so I hope you can find a nice fresh head for this recipe.  Besides being delicious, cabbage is amazingly good for you. 

I have been making lots of cabbage dishes these last few weeks and wanted to do something different. My Austrian Grandmother made delicious sweet and sour cabbage rolls and I was thinking of them this weekend. However, after catching up on some overdue trimming and weeding in the garden, I did not feel like going to all the trouble to make the cabbage rolls.  I came up with this dish to get the same flavors in one pot with a little bit of work and most of the time spent simmering the ingredients together on the stove. I also used turkey instead of beef for a lighter version of this dish that I usually crave for cold weather.

Inside Out Cabbage Rolls with Rice

1 large or 2 medium sweet onions

1-pound ground turkey

1 small to medium head of green cabbage

1 good size juicy lemon

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Salt and pepper

1 Bay leaf

1 can chopped tomatoes in juice (16 ounce)

Olive oil

About 3 quart size large rimmed sauté pan with lid

Rice – White or Brown, from scratch or pre-made

Before you start the cabbage if you are making rice from scratch – put on your rice. You can also use microwave rice if desired – Trader Joe's has a good organic brown rice that takes 3 minutes and it is delicious - you can find it in the freezer section. I keep some on hand in case I don't have time to make rice from scratch. 

I made an old world pilaf with this dish – it is different types of rice with some beans and lentils  that comes pre-packaged from the health food store – It takes about 45-50 minutes – I started it before I sautéed the onions and both dishes were ready at the same time.

Put about 1-2 tablespoons in large sauté pan. Heat on medium.

Meanwhile chop the onions in large dice. Put onions in pan and cook a few minutes till they start to turn translucent. Add ground turkey and stir breaking up the meat and mixing with the onions and let the turkey brown and the onions soften.  While onion and turkey is cooking, core the cabbage and rough chop – cut in wedges and then cut the wedges into strips and then cut those in smaller pieces.

Salt and pepper the onion and turkey mixture and add a bay leaf. Add the canned tomatoes with juice, the juice from the lemon, the brown sugar and the apple cider vinegar.  Mix together and add one-half cup more liquid if desired (water or some stock) – you want it juicy to steam the cabbage and make a sauce but not too wet.

When the mixture starts to boil add the cabbage, cover and steam for about 30 minutes on medium low heat. Check and stir periodically to make sure the cabbage is getting mixed in with all of the flavors.

Enjoy!

Until next time… may you find enjoyment in food and nature,

Marla