Stuffed Savoy Cabbage

Ingredients

Directions

1 head (2 1/2 lbs) of Savoy cabbage

1 T olive oil

1 1/2 lbs sweet Italian sausage

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves finely chopped garlic

1/2 t orange zest

1 1/2 cups cooked rice

2 lightly beaten eggs

Salt and black pepper to taste

1/3 cup water

 

 

Cook entire head of cabbage in boiling water until the outer leaves are pliant—about five minutes.

Remove five or six of the outer leaves and set aside.

Remove the core and coarsely chop the remaining cabbage.

Remove the sausage from its casing and brown. Stir to break it up. Remove the sauage from the skillet and set aside.

Add chopped cabbage, onion, garlic, and orange zest to the skillet. Cook covered until the cabbage is wilted—about 20 minutes.

 

Trim the heavy rib from the leaves set aside so that they are flush to the rest of the leaf.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter a 9 x 4 1/2 round casserole and line with the trimmed leaves leaving enough of the leaves to cover the sausage/cabbage mix.

 

Mix the sausage, cabbage, rice, eggs, salt, and pepper.

Mound the sausage/cabbage mix in the bowl. Cover with remaining leaves overlapping to cover the entire mound. Add water.

Butter the casserole cover or a piece of foil and cover the mound.

Bake for 75 minutes.

Allows stuffed cabbage to stand for five minutes. Cut into wedges and serve with sauce.

 

Tomato Fennel Sauce

2 T olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 strip of orange zest
1/8 t fennel seeds
1 crushed clove garlic
1 35-oz can plum tomatoes, drained with the juice reserved separately and tomatoes coarsely chopped
Sprig of fresh basil
Salt and black pepper to taste

Sauce

Cook onion in oil with orange zest, fennel and garlic until the onion is transparent.

Add tomatoes, tomatoe juice, and basil. Simmer for 25 minutes until it thickens.