Stuffed cabbage with rice & pine nuts avgolem
Yield: 6 Servings
Ingredients:
- 2 md Cabbage heads
- 3 tb Clarified butter
- 1 md Onion; chopped fine
- 1 c Water
- 1 c Raw long grain rice
- 1/4 c Raisins or currants
- 1/2 c Pine nuts
- 1/4 c Chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 c Chopped fresh dill Salt & freshly ground pepper
- 3 Eggs
- 1 Lemon juice only
- 2 tb Butter; cut into bits
Instructions:
Plunge cabbages into boiling salted water and cook about 8 minutes then drain thoroughly and set aside while you prepare the filling. In a heavy skillet heat the clarified butter add the chopped onions and cook until soft and transparent. Add the water and bring to a boil then add the rice and stir. Lower the heat and simmer gently until the rice has absorbed the liquid approximately 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add the raisins or currants pine nuts parsley dill and season with salt and pepper. Cool. Separate 2 of the eggs and mix the egg whites into filling. Reserve the yolks for the avgolemono. Stuff and roll the cabbage leaves using one heaping tablespoon filling roll up snugly then place seam side down in a casserole. Dot with butter and add water to cover then cover cabbage rolls with an inverted plate and cover casserole. Simmer for approximately 1 hour then transfer to a warm serving dish and keep warm. Strain the remaining liquid for the avgolemono sauce. Beat the remaining eggs and yolks for 2 minutes. Continuing to beat gradually add the lemon juice. Then add the 1-1/2 cups cooking liquid by droplets beating steadily until all has been added. Cook over hot water not boiling stirring constantly until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon. Pour over the cabbage rolls and serve hot. From: "The Food of Greece" by Vilma Liacouras Chantiles Avenel Books New York. Typed for you by Karen Mintzias
