The French are blessed with some of the finest freshly grown produce. Despite this abundance, most dishes on the French menu will find a way of sneaking in a little something meaty, whether a sprinkling of lardons in a salad or a bit of sausage meat tucked into a tomato. Cabbage leaves make perfect flexible cases for holding flavorful stuffing ingredients, so here is my meatfree version a great vegetarian dish.
Ingredients
- 1 savoy cabbage
- 4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 1 red onion, finely sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 6 large sage leaves
- Salt
- ⅓ cup (50 g) seedless raisins
- ⅔ cup (100 g) cooked and peeled chestnuts, roughly chopped
- 1 apple, cored and roughly cubed
- 1 sweet potato, baked in its skin
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 lemon zest
- 3½ oz (100 g) Munster cheese or chèvre, broken into chunks
- Freshly ground black pepper
How to Make It
- Peel away the tough leaves of the cabbage and cut out the tough inner core. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place the cabbage into the water and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until soft but intact. Drain and let cool. Peel off about ten loose outer leaves and set aside. Finely chop the tighter part of the head.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Chop five of the sage leaves, add these, and season with salt. Cook for 5 minutes, until soft. Add the chopped cabbage and cook for 3 minutes more.
- Add the raisins, chestnuts, apple, sweet potato, vinegar, and 2 tbsp water. Remove from the heat, and stir in the lemon zest and cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
- Take two 20-inch lengths of butcher’s string and form a cross in the base of a deep bowl, with the ends draped over the side. Place a couple of cabbage leaves on top of the string, overlapping them to create a nest for the filling. Spoon all the filling into the center of the leaves, then layer more leaves around the edges to overlap the bottom leaves, tucking them in and around the sides and covering the top of the filling.
- Tie the strings together tightly on top in a neat bow, with the remaining sage leaf tucked underneath. Place the cabbage parcel on a baking sheet lined with parchment, sprinkle with a little salt, and drizzle with oil. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Serve by cutting into wedges at the table.