CARMELA HAYES COLUMN: Vegetable rolls double as main or a side dish

Vibrant and beautifully colourful, these savoy cabbage filled rolls are scrumptious, so I would urge you to double up the recipe as they taste even better as left-overs. They even freeze perfectly well too, when pre-baked, writes Carmela.
Try these tasty cabbage leaves filled with black rice and lentilsTry these tasty cabbage leaves filled with black rice and lentils
Try these tasty cabbage leaves filled with black rice and lentils

Savoy cabbage offers great leaf structure and, with its verdant colour, lends itself so well to retaining a vibrant hue.

An alternative leaf that I also love and would recommend is black cabbage, known as cavolo nero. As a side note, I’d urge you try to source a large savoy cabbage or buy two as the larger the leaves are, the easier they are to roll; the smaller leaves tend to split and can only house a limited amount of filling.

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Within this baked dish I am using a black rice nero from Riso Gallo, with tender lentils and a simple tomato sauce.

Black rice is not only visually different, I think it has a firmer bite that offers a great texture. The colour is simply the variety, so please don’t think it has been tainted with the gentle yet punchy aroma of cuttlefish ink. The nero rice can be used as a blank canvas so will happily absorb any flavour you care to share with it.

These filled vegetable rolls make a scrumptious main meal with a ladle of tomato sauce, but equally they can step up and move over as a side to a piece of fish, a roasted chicken, or a pan-fried steak. Finished with a little extra melted butter, or a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, they make for a fantastic yet changeable side.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Baking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 6 as a starter or 4 as a main

For the tomato sauce

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 shallots, peeled, finely chopped

600g passata

1 clove garlic, finely sliced or minced

Salt & pepper to season, as required

4 basil leaves

For the cabbage rolls

100g Italian brown lentils

100g Riso Gallo, Nero black rice

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 shallots, peeled, finely chopped

1 large stick celery, finely cubed

2 garlic cloves, peeled, minced

Small bunch parsley, finely chopped

A few celery leaves, finely chopped

Pinch chilli flakes, or as required

Pinch dried marjoram

8–12 large savoy cabbage leaves

Salt and pepper, to season as required

30g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated (optional)

Tomato sauce – Add the extra virgin olive oil to a small saucepan and fry the chopped shallots over a medium heat for 3 minutes. Add the passata and garlic, simmer for 20 minutes.

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Season with salt and pepper and add a few basil leaves. Once ready, taste and adjust the seasoning as required.

Cabbage rolls – Fill a small saucepan with water, bring to the boil and season with salt. Add the lentils to the saucepan and boil them for 10 minutes.

2. Cook for 10 minutes, then tumble in the black rice and continue to boil them both for another 12 minutes.

3. Drain the lentils and rice; set aside in a large mixing bowl.

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4. Into a sauté pan add the extra virgin olive oil and fry off the chopped shallots and celery over a medium heat for approx 5 minutes.

5. Add the garlic and stir.

6. Scrape the vegetable mixture into the bowl of rice and lentils. Add the chopped parsley and celery leaves, stir to incorporate, season generously with salt, pepper, a pinch of chilli flakes and generous pinch of marjoram. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.

7. Fill a large saucepan with water. Once boiling, salt the water.

8. Blanch each savoy cabbage leaf for one minute in the boiling water. Remove each leaf from the water and lay the leaves on a clean tea-towel to dry, repeat with the remaining leaves.

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9. Using a small sharp knife, cut out and remove the rib of the cabbage leaf in the shape of a V (the firm stalk).

10. Spoon the rice and lentil mixture evenly over each cabbage leaf, tuck in the edges and roll into a sausage shape (this stage may take a little time and patience).

11. Add a ladle of the tomato sauce to the base of your ovenproof dish. Lay the rolled cabbage rolls, seam side down into the dish and top with some more sauce and an optional grating of Parmigiano Reggiano.

12. Bake for 30 minutes at 180C (fan-assisted).

Enjoy!