A RETRO-DINNER

A Retro-Dinner

          The burgeoning cookbook market and mad pace at which restaurant chefs compete with each other for new novelty recipes and taste combinations occasionally sends the home cook on a nostalgia trip.  A recent overnight visit from one of our sons gently nudged me in that direction.

The dinner had to be gluten free so after some Roquefort with rice crackers and a curried pumpkin bisque (nod to more current cuisine) we settled in for a homey dinner of cabbage rolls. An unlikely offering to be encountered in trendy big-city restaurants, but something he could remember from his growing-up years.

          Beef Cabbage Rolls

Lightly core a small head of green cabbage. To remove and soften the leaves immerse the cabbage in a pot with boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes, turning the cabbage head if the water does not completely cover it. Carefully remove the hot softened leaves and repeat the process until you have all the softened leaves. Do not discard the water. In a medium bowl mix: 1 beaten egg, 1 tsp. salt, ½ medium onion finely chopped, pepper to taste, 1 tblsp. Worcestershire sauce, ½ tsp. sugar and 1 lb. lean ground beef. Chop 2 large onions and set aside. In another bowl mix: 16 oz tomato sauce with 6 oz tomato paste, ¼ tsp. pepper, 1 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. sugar, 2 tblsp. vinegar, 1 tblsp. Worcestershire sauce and 1-2 cups of the reserved water. In a 3-4 quart pot put in ½ of the chopped onions and spread with some sauce to cover. To assemble the cabbage rolls:

Place a spoonful of the meat mixture on the thickest end of a softened cabbage leaf and fold the rest of the leaf around it as an envelope or a packet and place seam down in the pot. Continue placing additional rolls adjacent until the bottom of the pot is covered. Spread the rest of the onions on top and another thin layer of the sauce. Apply another layer of rolls and sauce until all the meat is used. Any left-over cabbage leaves can be thinly sliced and layered on top. The final layer should be the tomato sauce and any additional cabbage water to cover. Bring the pot to boil, partially cover and simmer for 2 hours, making sure that enough liquid remains to cover the cabbage rolls. Can be made ahead and the flavor will improve on reheating. Serve with dilled boiled potatoes.

          Retro-dinners deserve a retro-desert. When the boys were growing up, time in the kitchen was a premium. Tapioca pudding was a frequent desert at our house, since it was quick to make and could be varied with different toppings of fruit or jam. And these days it has the added premium of being gluten-free. A cranberry-pear topping made a colorful and tart topping.

 

                             Fluffy Tapioca Pudding

          In a medium pot lightly beat 2 egg yolks (set aside the whites in a small bowl) with ¼ cup sugar, 4 ½ tblsp. tapioca and 3 cups milk and allow to sit of 5 minutes. Beat the egg whites with a hand mixer until soft peaks form and slowly beat in 4 tblsp. sugar until the eggs form stiff peaks.  Heat the milk and tapioca mixture on medium heat with constant stirring until the mixture comes to a full boil. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp. either vanilla or almond extract and thoroughly fold in the beaten egg whites. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before spooning in serving dishes. Parfait glasses are particularly nice for this, if you wish to add a spoonful of the topping in the bottom before filling and the just add a spoonful of the topping at the time of serving. Chill for several hours or overnight.

                             Cranberry-Pear Topping

          In a small pot bring to boil 1 cup washed fresh cranberries, 1/3 cup water, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 cored and peeled pear diced, 3 strips of lemon zest and 1 star-anise seed (optional). Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes until all the fruit is soft. Chill and use with the pudding or topping for any other desert or even French Toast.

          Groceries love to promote cabbage during March for St. Patrick’s Day. A true Irishman would never sanction this, but cabbage rolls could make an alternative for the traditional fare for that day. Naturally, Guinness and Jameson’s can have NO! alternative choices.

         

(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: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)