Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Rice and Mince

• 1large savoy cabbage, 12 outer leaves peeled off whole
• 120glong grain rice
• 400gbeef mince (pork mince works too)
• 1onion, coarsely grated
• 1carrot, coarsely grated
• 3garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tspsweet paprika
• 20gdill, chopped
• fine salt
• black pepper
• 2 x 400gtins chopped tomatoes
• 300mlbeef or chicken stock
• 1 tbspolive oil
• 600gpotatoes, cut into chunks
• 20gbutter
• 150mlsoured cream

Method

1. 1Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the rice and cook for 7 minutes until half-cooked and still chalky in the middle, then scoop it out with a sieve and rinse under the cold tap. Keep the water boiling.
2. 2Cut the thick stalk out of the base of each cabbage leaf in a narrow V. Drop the leaves into the boiling water in two batches for 3 minutes until floppy and bright green, then lift out and drain on a tea towel.
3. 3Mix the mince with the rice, onion, carrot, garlic, paprika, half the dill, a teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper. Squeeze it together with your hands until it holds. Grated onion and carrot keep the filling juicy through a long bake.
4. 4Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan). Put a fat sausage of filling at the stalk end of each leaf, fold in the sides and roll up tightly. Lay the rolls seam-side down in a baking dish that holds them in one snug layer.
5. 5Stir the tomatoes, stock, olive oil, a pinch of salt and some pepper together and pour over the rolls; they should be almost covered. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes until the leaves are completely tender when pierced and the rice inside is soft.
6. 6Take off the foil and bake for 10 minutes more until the sauce has thickened and the tops of the rolls are catching colour. Cut one open to check: the filling must be steaming hot throughout with no pink remaining.
7. 7For the last 20 minutes of baking, boil the potatoes in the saucepan for 15 minutes until tender, then drain and toss with the butter and a pinch of salt.
8. 8Serve three rolls each with plenty of sauce, a spoonful of soured cream and the rest of the dill scattered over, with the buttered potatoes alongside.

Per serving

kcal

775

protein

32g

fibre

15g

carbs

83.1g

fat

36.8g