Cabbage Rolls

Truth be told, my house still smells a little cabbage like, and I made these last Sunday. Venison, however, is such a versatile protein.

These didn’t taste gamey at all. I personally quite enjoy it when the hunters in my life share their bounty. I only wish they would bring a cross-bow and thin out the vagrant colony of deer in Fairmont that eat everything I love to watch grow.

Let’s talk about this meal’s low cost, which produced enough for 10-12 servings. That’s not bad considering the price of literally everything else. Stay well; enjoy.

Ingredients:

Tomato sauce

28 oz. crushed tomatoes

1 T. sugar

12 oz. V8 juice

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp onion powder

Cabbage Rolls

1 head cabbage (3-4 lbs.)

2 lbs. ground venison

1 C Vidalia onion, small dice

2 cloves garlic

2 eggs

1 ½ C white rice, cooked

1 T olive oil

2 T sherry

2 T parsley

3 T paprika

2 T kosher salt +1 tsp salt (divided)

½ tsp pepper

Directions:

In a stockpot, add a gallon of water and 2 T kosher salt. Core the head of cabbage and submerge in the water, bringing to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cover for 10-20 minutes. Use a pair of tongs to peel away layers of cabbage once they are tender and pliable; place on a sheet pan to cool.

Heat the oil in a 10-inch sauté pan over medium heat, sauté the onion for 5-6 minutes, add the garlic and deglaze with the sherry until the liquid has evaporated.

Remove the onion mixture from heat, place in a medium-sized bowl, and allow to cool. To the same pan, add the crushed tomatoes, V8 juice, sugar, salt, pepper, onion powder, and minced garlic in the same sauté pan. Allow the sauce to simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes.

Mix the cabbage roll filling together once the cooked onion has cooled. Use any small or broken leaves to layer the bottom of a 6–8-quart crockpot.

Take the cooled cabbage leaves and roll a ¼ — ½ C of filling in each leaf. Place the leaves seam side down in the crockpot.

Continue until you have used all of the filling and the cabbage leaves. Pour the prepared sauce over the top. Set the crockpot to high for 2 hours.

Check the internal temperature of the cabbage roll and make sure it reaches 165 degrees F before serving. Serve with mashed potatoes.

• Recipe adapted from Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Galumpkis) Recipe | Tyler Florence | Food Network

Natalie Feltz is an assistant professor of Culinary Arts at Pierpont Community & Technical College. nfeltz@pierpont.edu