Persian Sweet-and-Sour Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
- 1 medium-sized white Dutch or Savoy cabbage
- 1 1/4 cups rice
- 1/2 cup yellow split peas
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- Vegetable oil
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2/3 cup wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- To detach the cabbage leaves, cut a deep cone into the core at the stem end with a pointed knife and plunge the whole cabbage into boiling salted water.
- This will soften and loosen 1 or 2 layers of leaves.
- Detach these, and plunge again into boiling water to detach more leaves, and continue until all of the leaves are separated.
- Cut very large leaves in half, but leave small ones whole.
- Prepare the filling.
- Wash the rice and cook in boiling water until it is almost tenderabout 10 minutesthen drain.
- Boil the split peas separately until tender.
- Fry the onion in 3 tablespoons oil until soft and transparent.
- Add the meat and turmeric and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring, until the meat changes color, then remove from the heat and add the rice and split peas, tomato paste, parsley, and more salt and pepper.
- Mix well.
- Lay the cabbage leaves on a plate one at a time.
- Shave off the thickest part of the hard rib if necessary.
- Put a heaping tablespoon of the mixture at the bottom of each leaf, bring the sides up over it, and roll up into a bundle.
- Put a little oil at the bottom of a heavy pan, cover with a few broken leaves to protect the others from burning, then arrange over them rows and layers of stuffed cabbage rolls.
- Mix the vinegar with an equal quantity of water, stir in the sugar, and pour over the rolls.
- Put a plate over them, cover the pan, and cook gently on a very low flame for 3/41 hour, until rolls are very tender and the liquid has been absorbed, adding water if necessary.
- Serve hot or cold.
dutch, rice, peas, onion, vegetable oil, ground beef, turmeric, salt, tomato paste, flatleaf, wine vinegar, sugar
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/persian-sweet-and-sour-stuffed-cabbage-rolls-373497 (may not work)