Lentil & Walnut Cabbage Rolls

Name: Lentil & Walnut Cabbage Rolls
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 1 whole Green cabbage; 240 g Canned lentils drained; 80 g Long grain rice; 30 g Walnuts; 100 g Onion; 2 cloves Garlic; 400 g Canned crushed tomatoes; 150 ml Water; 1 tbsp Olive oil; 1 tsp Ground coriander; 1 tbsp Red wine vinegar; 10 g Fresh dill; 100 g Plain yogurt; 0.5 tsp Salt; 0.25 tsp Black pepper

Soft cabbage leaves hold lentils, rice and walnuts in a bright tomato sauce, finished with dill and a cool spoonful of yogurt.

90 minutes · Intermediate · 2 servings

Original house recipe · Not yet kitchen-tested

Ingredients

Green cabbage1 whole
Canned lentils drained240 g
Long grain rice80 g
Walnuts30 g
Onion100 g
Garlic2 cloves
Canned crushed tomatoes400 g
Water150 ml
Olive oil1 tbsp
Ground coriander1 tsp
Red wine vinegar1 tbsp
Fresh dill10 g
Plain yogurt100 g
Salt0.5 tsp
Black pepper0.25 tsp

Quantities describe recipe usage, not package sizes.

Allergen notes

Walnuts and milk. Check wine vinegar for sulphites.

Method

Soften the leaves and cook rice

Heat the oven to 190°C / 375°F. Wash the produce. Use a large cabbage with broad leaves. Cut out the core and lower the head into a large pot of simmering tap water. As outer leaves soften, lift off 8 large intact leaves with tongs; allow about 10–15 minutes. Blanch any stiff leaves for 2 more minutes, drain and cool. Meanwhile, rinse the rice and boil it in a separate saucepan of tap water for 12–15 minutes until tender, then drain well.

Make the filling

Dice the onion, mince the garlic and chop the walnuts. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 6 minutes. Add garlic and coriander for 30 seconds. Rinse and drain the lentils to give the stated drained weight. Combine the lentils, rice, onion mixture, walnuts, half the salt and the pepper in a bowl.

Mix the sauce and roll

Mix the tomatoes, measured water, vinegar and remaining salt. Spread one third in a 20 x 25 cm baking dish. Shave down each cabbage leaf’s thick central rib without cutting through the leaf. Divide the filling evenly among the 8 leaves, about a generous ⅓ cup each. Fold the sides in and roll from the stem end to enclose. Arrange seam-side down in one snug layer.

Bake until tender

Pour the remaining sauce over the rolls and cover the dish tightly with foil or a lid. Bake for 35–45 minutes until the cabbage cuts easily and the centre of a roll is steaming hot, at least 74°C / 165°F. Rest, still covered, for 5 minutes.

Serve

Chop the dill and scatter over the rolls. Serve four rolls per person with the sauce and yogurt alongside. Refrigerate the unused cabbage promptly for another meal.

This is a cooked-rice, cooked-lentil filling; do not swap in dry lentils or uncooked rice. Use a second leaf to patch any small tear before rolling.

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