Mia Kouppa

https://miakouppa.com

Cabbage rolls with egg-lemon sauce

Greek cabbage rolls filled with rice, meat and herbs, topped with a rich egg lemon sauce

Prep Time1 30

Cook Time1 30

Total Time3

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Greek

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: pieces

Calories: 124kcal

Author: miakouppa

Equipment

1 large pot

Ingredients

2 heads cabbage we used one green cabbage and one savoy cabbage
1/2 cup olive oil
1 medium yellow onion chopped
12 green onions chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup finely chopped dill
325 grams ground turkey (about 3/4 lb or 1 1/2 cups). SEE NOTES
325 grams ground pork (about 3/4 lb or 1 1/2 cups). SEE NOTES
2 cups long grain rice, or Carolina rice rinsed or soaked
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup vegetable oil

For the egg-lemon (avgolemono) sauce

3 large eggs separated
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
chopped dill for garnish optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Begin by preparing your cabbage. Bring a large pot (one big enough to hold your head of cabbage) to a boil. Remove the hard core from your cabbage, but not to the extent that your leaves start to fall apart. You should end up with a cone shaped cut-out where the core used to be.
2 heads cabbage
When your water is boiling, add your entire head of cabbage, core side down, and allow to boil for approximately 10 minutes. Turn it over (so the core is facing up) and boil for another 5 minutes.
Carefully remove your cabbage from the water and let cool slightly. Begin to carefully remove the cabbage leaves. If they are not soft, return your cabbage to the pot and boil for a bit longer. If you are able to remove some leaves, and then the inner ones appear to be too hard, return the remaining cabbage head to the boiling water.
Place the cabbage leaves in a colander so that they can drain a little bit, and continue to cool. Repeat the same process with your second head of cabbage
Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a large pot and sauté your yellow onion until it is soft and very slightly caramelized. Add the green onions, parsley, and dill to the pot and cook over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
1/2 cup olive oil, 1 medium yellow onion, 12 green onions, 1 1/2 cups chopped flat-leaf parsley, 1/3 cup finely chopped dill
Add the ground turkey and pork to the pot and stir. Add the rinsed rice and stir until all is well combined. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice to your filling mix and give it one final stir. Remove from the heat.
325 grams ground pork, 2 cups long grain rice, or Carolina rice, 2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
To make your cabbage rolls take a cabbage leaf and cut away any remaining hard part (usually found in the middle of the leaf and going up about an inch or two). You can decide at this point to cut your cabbage leaf in half (to make small cabbage rolls) or leave it whole (to make larger cabbage rolls). We think the latter is easier.
Place some filling in the bottom-center of your leaf (where the core would have been). The amount of filling you use will depend upon whether you use an entire or half a cabbage leaf, and on the size of your leaf. Use your judgment. We used about 2 tablespoons of filling for an entire cabbage leaf.
Use the cabbage leaf to fold over the filling. Bring in the sides, and continue to roll up. It is almost like you are making a burrito. See video here. The key is to make sure that the filling is snug within the cabbage leaf so that it does not fall out. Because the rice will increase in volume as it cooks, do not wrap your cabbage rolls too tightly.
Take a pot large enough to hold all of the cabbage rolls and pour in ½ cup of vegetable oil. As you finish each cabbage roll, place it carefully and snugly into the pot, layering as you go. Once all the rolls are arranged, cover the top with any remaining cabbage leaves. SEE NOTES.
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Boil some water in a kettle. Pour the boiling water into the pot with the cabbage leaves until they are covered. Bring to a boil.
Once the water reaches a boil, lower the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot with a plate large enough to fit inside and weigh the rolls down, and cook for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. You can always remove one at this point to taste it and make sure that the rice is cooked. Remove any top layers of cabbage that you had covering your cabbage rolls and set aside.
When the cabbage rolls are done, prepare your egg-lemon sauce.
Separate your eggs. With a hand held mixer or a standing mixer, whisk the egg whites until they are frothy. Add in the egg yolks and continue to beat until well combined. Add in the 3/4 cup lemon juice, while whisking slowly.
3 large eggs, 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Remove one cup of broth which you will find in your cabbage roll pot. While still whisking the egg-lemon mixture, slowly pour in the hot broth. Then, pour this mixture into the pot with your cabbage rolls. Gently shake the pot so that the egg-lemon sauce falls to the bottom of the pot.
If you find the pot doesn't have enough liquid in it, you can simply add in some boiling water, and shake the pot gently to combine.
Serve with some fresh dill sprinkled on top.

Video

Notes

The amount of cabbage rolls you make will depend on how big your cabbage is.

You can make anywhere between 45-60 cabbage rolls with the filling. If you have filling left over, you can refrigerate or freeze for future use.

If you prefer, you can only use one type of meat, either pork, or turkey, or even ground chicken. Just ensure that it's approximately 1 pound.

Nutrition