Turkish Stuffed Cabbage

Name: Turkish Stuffed Cabbage
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon unsalted butter; 2 tablespoon tomato paste; dash of dried mint; dash of dried oregano; 2 cup cold water; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 dried bay leaf; 3/4 cup turkish-style (süzme) or greek-style strained plain yogurt; 1 pound ground lamb; 16 ounce white basmati rice; 1 white or yellow onion, chopped finely; 2 tomatoes, chopped; 1/3 bunch dill, chopped finely; 1/3 bunch mint, stemmed and chopped finely; 1/3 bunch flat-leaf parsley, stemmed and chopped finely; 2 tablespoon tomato paste; 2 tablespoon mild red pepper paste; salt and pepper, to taste; one 3 ½-pound cabbage; 2 1/2 cup tomato juice; 2 1/2 cup water

Galip Ozbek|March 15, 2012 2:56 pm EST

5 (2 ratings)

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This traditional Turkish stuffed cabbage with two sauces — one tomato-based and the other yogurt-based — is perfect for a hearty meal that doesn’t leave you feeling too full. It also works well as an appetizer dish at casual get-togethers or potlucks. Click here to see Just Stuff It — 10 Stuffed Vegetable Recipes.

Servings

4

Ingredients

1 teaspoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoon tomato paste
dash of dried mint
dash of dried oregano
2 cup cold water
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 dried bay leaf
3/4 cup turkish-style (süzme) or greek-style strained plain yogurt
1 pound ground lamb
16 ounce white basmati rice
1 white or yellow onion, chopped finely
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/3 bunch dill, chopped finely
1/3 bunch mint, stemmed and chopped finely
1/3 bunch flat-leaf parsley, stemmed and chopped finely
2 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoon mild red pepper paste
salt and pepper, to taste
one 3 ½-pound cabbage
2 1/2 cup tomato juice
2 1/2 cup water

Directions

For the tomato sauce, melt the butter in a small pan or pot over low heat. Add the tomato paste, mint, and oregano and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the water, ½ teaspoon of the garlic powder, and bay leaf and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook for 10 minutes, remove from heat, and set aside.
For the yogurt sauce, combine the yogurt and remaining garlic powder in a bowl and set aside.
In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, peel off the individual cabbage leaves, taking care to keep them whole. When the water reaches a boil, add the cabbage. As the leaves soften, take them and fill each with 2 tablespoons of the filling. Fold the sides first and then roll to wrap.
Arrange them tightly in a deep, wide pot, such as a Dutch oven, and add the tomato juice and water. Cover with a lid, place in the oven, and cook for about 2 hours. Remove from the oven and serve with the tomato and yogurt sauces.