Hi Ho, Silver!

It's time to get back up on that pony and ride again. The holidays are over and I've simply run out of excuses. I have been away from the Blogosphere too long and I've dearly missed my favorite therapeutic indulgence, the enduring challenge of writing about food and sustainability.

It was easy this past summer and fall. The discoveries and revelations spun from the heady abundance of fresh, luscious produce created a sense of urgency worth sharing. Now, with winter in full thrust, thoughts and experiences surrounding comfort food seem far less compelling. Whatever!

I've noticed my style of eating (and yes, weight, too) has changed greatly with my shift in locales and seasons. When it was blazing hot outside, salads and lighter meals made sense. These days I have to work at my vegetable intake. The solution lately has been cabbage, a good thing since the markets are full of it. In my fridge, there is typically one rolling around, forgotten and patiently waiting for its number to come up. It's especially handy in slaw form, a great crunchy addition to tacos and burgers.

A bit of further digging on the merits of cabbage tells me that it is high in vitamin C - a nice winter benefit. Also, the generic green cabbage will store 1 to 2 months in a cool place; a positive addition to soups and stews. I'm reminded of the French expression of endearment, ma petite chou, or ‘my little cabbage’. Very classy, indeed.

In this colder climate, I’m eating more, and thinking about foods I haven't considered for years: cassoulets and chowders, and of course, things with cabbage... like Golabki, or Polish stuffed cabbage. I like making these little rolls when the need to play with my food emerges. This is a great social activity with kids or just a wonderful meditational exercise. The bit of brown sugar and raisins on the finish is reflective of the Polish influence.

Polish Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Golabki

Rolls:
1 cabbage head
1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground turkey
1 cup cooked long grained rice
1/2 cup onion, finely diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tsp. salt and pepper, approx.

Topping:
14 oz. can tomatoes, crushed
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
salt to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar, approximate
2 tablespoons raisins, approximate

Separate and blanch cabbage leaves briefly in boiling water. Drain and set aside. Reserve @ 1 cup water. Pre-cook the rice, if not readily available.

Oil 9x12" casserole dish or dutch oven. Place unusable leaves on bottom of dish, with a bit of available sliced onion, an additional light sprinkling of dill and salt and pepper.

For the rolls: combine filling items. Place heaping tablespoonful of stuffing at largest end of leaf, roll and fold sides in, and finish roll. Place one layer of rolls close together, seam side down in dish. Add reserved water to moisten bottom of dish.

Top rolls with crushed tomatoes, and season with dill and salt and pepper. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and raisins. Cover the dish with foil and bake at 325 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours. Serves 4-6~~