BAKED CABBAGE ROLLS AND WARM APPLES

 

                            Baked cabbage rolls and warm apples

 

          Back-to-back weekend snowstorms make us long for warm filling meals. Since they also provide more time for kitchen activities the home cook can tackle recipes which are not complicated in their own right, but by their nature require more cook time. Cabbage rolls are a prime example of such a winter dish, that originated in many northern European countries where cabbage used to be one of the few vegetables readily available in winter.

          In simplest terms these are flavored ground meat packets wrapped in a cabbage leaf envelope which are either cooked on stovetop or baked in a sauce. Unfortunately,

it is impossible to unwrap a cabbage leaf from a cabbage without softening it first by cooking, which adds another set of steps to the cooking process.

                                                  Baked cabbage rolls

          Choose a medium sized cabbage since you want the leaves to be large enough to wrap securely 2-3 tablespoons of the filling, but not too large since you will have to lift out the whole head out of a boiling pot of water to process the leaves. Trim any discolored outer leaves and with a sharp knife cut out at least an inch of the bottom core. Place the trimmed head in a pot of boiling salted water to cover and cook for 12 minutes. Remove the cabbage head to a plate to drain and cool enough to separate 12-14 of the outer leaves and remove a small triangle of the tough rib at the base of each leaf. The unused part of cabbage can be used in soups or stir-fries.

          For the filling: fork beat an egg with 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp. salt, ¼ tsp pepper, ½ tsp. garlic powder and 2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill and 1 medium onion finely chopped. Mix thoroughly by hand with 1 lb. 85% lean ground beef and half a cup of cooked rice. Any leftover rice or pilaf are fine for this purpose.

          The sauce, which will give the dish its characteristic strong and slightly tart flavor depends on lots of onion and thick tomato sauce. In a medium bowl blend a 6 oz. can of tomato paste with 2 cups beef broth, 8 oz. tomato sauce, 1-2 tbsp. Worcester sauce, 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. pepper, ½ tsp. sugar, 2 large, chopped onions and 2 tbsp. white vinegar.

          Spread some of the sauce in the bottom of a 7x11 deep baking dish or equivalent and scatter a couple coarsely chopped unfilled leaves on top. Spread out a cabbage leaf on a plate, place 2-3 tbsp meat in the center and fold the leaf around the meat in envelope fashion starting with the thickest part. Arrange the folded rolls tightly together in the pan. Evenly spread the rest of the sauce over the filled cabbage rolls. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 2 and ½ hours. Serve hot with dilled boiled potatoes. Cabbage rolls freeze well and are even better when reheated.

          A warm apple pie would pair well for dessert with cabbage rolls, but a simpler substitute of fried apples is less time consuming and equally flavorful.

                                                         Fried apples

          Quarter and core 4-5 small to medium apples and slice without peeling each quarter in 4 slices. Melt 2 tbsp. unsalted butter in a large pan and when hot stir in the apple slices. Cook on medium high heat for 10 minutes with occasional turning and allowing some of the apples to brown. Partway through the cooking stir in a handful of raisins. To finish sprinkle with 2 tbsp. lime juice and 2 tbsp. brown sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved and serve warm or at room temperature plus or minus whipped cream.

          A cozy kitchen with its appetizing aromas is a comfort on days as I watch the growing mountain of snow from the plowed drive get ever higher in our front yard. But it is January and we do live in Maine.

 (I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day…”and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

 

 

BROILED SALMON ON CURRIED LENTILS AND SAVORY MUFFINS

                Broiled salmon on curried lentils and savory muffins

           We find ourselves each New Year full of fresh expectations and resolutions, which tend to lose their luster as January advances. Interestingly, 2026 finds us with a newly revised healthy food pyramid by the FDA, which in its simplest description looks like an upside-down pyramid of the one with which we are familiar. Meat and protein are now on the wide top and grains are on the narrow bottom.

          As an omnivore I no longer will have to squint to find the previously approved 3 oz. meat serving on my plate. The new 5-6 oz portion guidelines may not satisfy true carnivores, but most of us certainly will feel more satisfied. The biggest challenge of the new pyramid is to decrease our consumption of processed foods and sugar, which tends to creep in unobtrusively in both food and drinks. Years ago, I had the opportunity to challenge a student in the laboratory, by having her weigh out 39 grams of sugar which is found in every coke. Grams in the USA are not in common use and seem innocuous, so she was horrified by the impressive mound of sugar on the scale, equivalent to almost 4 tablespoons (1 teaspoon sugar=4grams)!

          Fortunately, lentils and fish are still on the highly approved healthy food list, which led to a delicious dinner of broiled salmon on a bed of spicy curried lentils.

                                      Curried lentils

          Rinse 1 cup dried lentils and drain.  In a medium pot heat 1 tbsp. olive oil and sauté 1 medium chopped onion, 1 stalk diced celery, 1 diced carrot and 2 minced garlic cloves for 5 minutes. Stir in: 1tsp. thyme, ½ tsp. sumac (optional), ½ tsp. each diced fresh ginger and turmeric (or dried), ½ tsp. lemon pepper, 1 tsp. salt and 1tsp. curry powder (mild) and cook for 2 minutes stirring. Add lentils, 1 bay leaf, ½ cup julienned sundried tomatoes and 2 ½ cups of water. Simmer partially covered for 20-30 minutes until lentils are tender. Can be made ahead and reheated. Serve as bed for broiled fish or ham.

 

                                          Broiled salmon and curried lentils

          Marinade for salmon: mix 1 heaping tbsp. apricot jam, 2 tbsp. olive oil, 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice, ¼ tsp. garlic powder, ¼ tsp. lemon pepper, ½ tsp. dry mustard and ¾ tsp. salt. Marinate 1.25 lb. 1-inch-thick salmon with skin in a sealed plastic bag for 30 minutes.

          Remove salmon from bag and place on an aluminum lined pan. Spread a thin coating of marinade on top and broil in a preheated oven for 10 minutes. Adjust time for thinner or thicker salmon. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before cutting in portions and serve on a bed of curried lentils with a green salad on the side.

          Breakfast muffins make a delightful change for cereal and eggs. Here are savory bacon and cheese muffins with just a smidgen of sugar that is certainly less than the 10 grams maximum per meal advised by the new food directives from FDA.

                                               Bacon and cheese muffins

          In a large bowl whip together:1 ½ cups flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, ¼ tsp. baking soda, ½ tsp. onion powder, ¾ tsp. salt 1/3 tsp. pepper and 2 tsp. sugar. In another bowl whisk together 2 large eggs, ¾ cups milk, ½ cup vegetable oil, ¾ cups sharp cheddar, ½ cup real bacon bits or crumbled crisp bacon and 1 tbsp. chopped chives. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour and mix until combined.

          Grease or put baking cups in a 12-cup muffin pan. Distribute the batter among the cups and sprinkle ¼ cup sharp cheddar on top. Bake for 20 minutes until tester toothpick comes out clean. Cool pan on rack for 5-10 minutes and serve warm for breakfast or as accompaniment to soup.

          The new food pyramid may look top heavy, but balanced meals with more protein and less sugar are likely to lead to satiety with smaller meal portions, which after all has been the advice from many family physicians.

 (I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day…”and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

 

 

BREAKFAST KALE, SWEDISH MEATBALLS AND STRUDEL

                    Breakfast kale, Swedish meatballs and Strudel

 

          If you are not exhilarated playing in the fresh snow or careening down ski slopes, the week between Christmas and New Years is a time of relative quiet after joyous excitement of holidays. For the home cook it is a time to resurrect favorite dishes from the past or envision a new one from ingredients on hand. 

                                  Breakfast kale with eggs and pancetta

          Unusual and healthy gluten free breakfasts are a challenge. Eggs are a mainstay for those and this version with kale is both satisfying and filling.

          Wash and de-rib 1 bunch of Lacinato or other kale and roughly slice the leaves into bitesize shreds. Sauté 2 oz. pancetta on medium heat for 5 minutes and drain on paper towel. Add 1 tbsp. olive oil to the pan and stir fry the kale with 1 medium thinly sliced onion, 1 tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes until wilted. Stir in ¼ cup apple cider vinegar and ¼ cup water and pancetta. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in ½ cup heavy cream and with a spoon make 4 depressions in the kale, break an egg in each depression and cook until the eggs are set. To set the top of the eggs cover the pan briefly. Sprinkle the cooked dish with shredded sharp cheddar cheese and serve hot.

          For many years our traditional Christmas eve dinner was Swedish meatballs until other tempting dishes replaced it. Swedish meatballs is a lovely comfort food that needed to be resurrected in the current cold snap in Maine.

                                              Swedish meatballs

          Soak ¼ cup dry unseasoned breadcrumbs with ½ cup half-and-half.  Stir in 1 beaten egg, 1 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. pepper, ½ tsp. cardamom, ½ tsp. nutmeg, ¼ tsp. allspice. Finely chop 1 medium onion, sauté onion in 1 tbsp. butter 3-4 minutes, cool slightly and stir in the bread mixture. Add 1 lb. meatloaf type beef, pork and veal mix blending ingredients thoroughly with your hands. Chill for 20 minutes. Form small meatballs by rolling the mixture in your hands and fry in batches in 3 tbsp. butter to brown. Keep the fried meatballs warm. Wipe out the pan. Melt 3 tbsp. butter, stir in 3 tbsp. flour to make a roux and cook for 2 minutes to incorporate all the flour, then slowly stir in 2 cups chicken broth to make the gravy. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and return the meatballs to the pan. Cook on low heat for 5 minutes, stir in ¼ cup sour cream and serve hot on boiled potatoes or pasta.

          Strudel is one of those quintessential German and Austrian foods that one associates with cold winters, warm fires and general contentment. The rest of fresh pumpkin from my pumpkin gratin served to make pumpkin strudel. Since at the time I also made an apple strudel, here is my combined apple and pumpkin strudel recipe. Both are delicious.

                                              Apple or pumpkin strudel

          Thaw a package of phyllo dough according to package instructions. Assemble all ingredients beforehand since phyllo dough dries rapidly and needs rapid handling. Peel, core and slice both apple and pumpkin in ¼ inch thick pieces about ½ inch in diameter to make 1 ½ cups each. Toss both pumpkin and apples with 1 tbsp. lemon juice. For each strudel set aside ¾ cup raisins and ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans. For each strudel mix together: ¾ cups sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, ¼ tsp. nutmeg, 1/3 tsp. cloves and ½ tsp. lemon peel. Open a container of unseasoned fine breadcrumbs. Melt 8 tbsp. unsalted butter for 2 strudel.

          Assemble on a damp kitchen towel, keeping the unused phyllo lightly covered with another damp towel. Spread 3 sheets of the phyllo dough on the damp towel, brush the entire surface lightly with butter, sprinkle with 1 tbsp. breadcrumbs, spread out 1/3 of the apple or pumpkin, 1/3 raisins and nuts and sprinkle with 1/3 of the sugar mix. Layer with 3 sheets more phyllo and repeat the process twice. Fold back an inch of the short end of the dough. Using the towel, wrap the whole package lengthwise in a jelly roll form. Transfer to a baking sheet and brush the entire strudel with lots of melted butter. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool before slicing. Will keep carefully wrapped in aluminum foil and frozen.

Happy New Year!

 (I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day…”and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)