Jack-Be-Lucky: Stuffed Cabbage Leaves

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax—
Of cabbages—and kings—
And why the sea is boiling hot—
And whether pigs have wings."

 -Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass

In the spirit of St. Patrick, I decided to do a green cabbage recipe last week.  I'm not a huge fan of the traditional corned beef with boiled cabbage and potatoes, so I opted for cabbage leaves stuffed with a cheesy sweet potato filling and topped with a creamy ricotta and butternut squash sauce.  To round out the Irish experience, we paired it with a Guinness.  Sláinte!

• 6 green cabbage leaves (removed from outside of cabbage head)
• 1 1/2 cup shredded cabbage
• 3 small sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 cup corn (I used some leftover frozen corn that I had in the freezer)
• 1/2 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 bags frozen butternut squash, thawed
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 8 oz. low-fat ricotta cheese
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 tbsp garlic
• 1 1/2 cup water

Preheat your oven to 375, get a small pot of water boiling, and have another bowl of ice cold water out.  As you wait for the water to boil, add one of the chopped onions and the garlic to a non-stick skillet, and saute until onions are translucent.  Add the corn, cabbage, and carrot to the skillet, and cook another 3 minutes.  Pour vegetables into a bowl, and stir in the cheddar cheese and mashed potatoes.

At this point, your water should be boiling, so immerse each cabbage leaf in the boiling water for 30 seconds, and then immediately immerse it in the ice water.  Now you can stuff your leaves.  I did one roll, so that the leaf was covering the filling, then tucked the edges in, and then finished rolling.  Place your stuffed cabbage leaves in a greased baking dish.

Stuffed leaf

Place squash, water, and the second onion in a pot and simmer until everything is tender, and then blend the squash mixture in a vitamix or food processor.  Stir in ricotta and parsley after blending, and pour the sauce over the stuffed cabbage.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Fresh out of the oven - delicious!

House Oakheart: Root Beer Soup

“Beer's nice for being glad and dizzy, and sometimes for the mystery and stuff, but the happy that comes out of a beer can is not like the real happy you got to make in your heart.”

Tom Robbins, B is for Beer

Somehow, this is our second post about cooking with beer, and yet, there are no posts that involve cooking with wine.  I am, if you can believe it, not a huge beer drinker or even a beer lover (except for sour beers, those are wonderful).  Wine, on the other hand, I love.  Which makes me think that I should start making recipes that feature it.  But that will be another day.  This soup got its name due to the beer we put in it: Tennessee Brew Works Country Roots, a sweet potato stout.

What you need:

• 10 small-medium sized yukon gold potatoes, diced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 4 medium carrots, diced
• 2 cups lacinato kale, finely chopped
• 12 oz. beer of your choice (although we recommend the Country Roots, it was excellent)
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp himalayan salt
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp garlic

First, heat your olive oil over medium-high heat in a large soup pot and saute the onion, carrots, and garlic.  When the onions are slightly golden, add in the potatoes, about a half cup of broth, and salt.  Next, slowly stir in the beer.  We found it best to put about a quarter in, stir, add another quarter, stir, and so on.  Reduce heat to medium, cover, and let everything cook until the potatoes have softened, stirring occasionally. 

When your potatoes have softened, add in the kale, give everything a stir, and then add in the broth, bringing the whole mixture to a boil over high heat.  At this point, if you are satisfied with the consistency of your veggies, go ahead and remove it from heat and serve.  If not, reduce heat and keep cooking until you are happy with the veggies.