Mediterranean Cabbage Rolls – Lahanodolmathes

My Greek-inspired Mediterranean Cabbage Rolls- (Lahanodolmathes) are not what I would consider 100% traditional by Greek standards, however, they are a completely delicious comfort food of cabbage, ground lamb, feta cheese, onions, dill, oregano, lemon juice and Greek White Wine with a lavish egg and Lemon Sauce.

Almost every ethnic background has their “Traditional Cabbage Roll” recipe that makes it way into ovens come the long-awaited cooler weather. I decided to make a “Greek-inspired Cabbage Roll” this time, changing the traditional recipe into one of my own.

In Greek cuisine, the word dolma usually refers to the stuffing of vegetables most commonly found in the Middle East, Balkans, the Caucasus, Russia, Central Asia, as well as Cyprus. The most common vegetables to stuff are tomatoes, peppers, onions, zucchini, eggplant, and garlic.

The stuffing for dolmas may or may not include meat… Meat filled Dolmas are usually plated warm, the most common way they are served is with an avgolemono (egg and lemon) sauce, others prefer a tomato sauce over theirs. Stuffed vegetables are also common in Italian cuisine, and are often called ripieni. Below you will find our version of Stuffed Mediterranean Cabbage Rolls – Lahanodolmathes

Mediterranean Cabbage Rolls – Lahanodolmathes

• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 and 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup rice
• Dash of Kosher salt
• 1 pound of ground lamb
• 2 ounces of feta cheese
• 1 whole egg
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill weed
• 1 teaspoon  finely chopped fresh oregano
• Juice of one lemon
• kosher salt, to taste
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 of a cup greek white wine
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1-2 heads of cabbages, cored

Directions for Cabbage Rolls

1. In a medium saucepan add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 and 1/4 cups of chicken stock, bring to a boil, then add 1 cup of rice and a dash of kosher salt. Stir rice well, let it boil 5 minutes uncovered. Place a tight-fitting lid on rice and turn the burner to lowest setting, till water is absorbed about 10-12 minutes. Turn off heat, remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. Meanwhile, in a large stockpot filled with boiling salted water,(the stockpot should contain enough water to completely cover the head of cabbage. Do not overfill the pot) place cored cabbage, as the outer leaves cook, remove larger leaves one at a time with long metal tongs, place on plate till ready to use.
3. Once the rice has completely cooled mix the cooked rice, ground lamb, feta cheese, 1 whole egg, finely chopped onions, 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, fresh dill, finely chopped fresh oregano, juice of one lemon, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Mix ingredients thoroughly.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
5. Cut away a portion of the center vein of cabbage, place even amounts of filling (about 3 tablespoons) on each cabbage leaf toward the center bottom, (just above the removed portion)
6. Roll the leaf around the filling, by beginning from the cut end of the leaf, roll each leaf up and over the filling, tucking the leaf underneath itself tightly. Tuck the ends underneath and fold the open ends of each leaf underneath them to prevent the roll from unraveling. Place in oven safe glass casserole dish or Dutch oven seam side down. Pour Greek White Wine and Chicken stock over cabbage rolls. Cover tightly.
7. Bake tightly covered Cabbage Rolls in 350-degree oven 40-45 minutes.

Egg Lemon sauce – untraditional Avgolemono

• 5 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon of heavy cream
• Juice of 5 lemons
• 1 cup Chicken stock or juice from the casserole
• 2 ounces feta crumbles
• 1 tablespoon of flour

Directions

1. Whisk the egg yolks and a tablespoon of heavy cream. Slowly temper in 1 cup heated chicken stock or juice from Cabbage Rolls into the egg yolks,  add the lemon juice, feta cheese, and flour, whisking thoroughly. Cook on very low heat constantly stirring till slightly thickened, about 3 – 5 minutes.
2. Remove cabbage rolls from oven, and pour in the Egg-lemon Sauce over the top of the Mediterranean Cabbage Rolls, cover and let sit for about 10-15 minutes to absorb the flavor of sauce before serving.

© Heidy L. McCallum and The McCallum’s Shamrock Patch, 2018-2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material or photos without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner are strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Heidy L. McCallum and The McCallum’s Shamrock Patch with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. You may not copy and paste recipes to share on Social Platforms.