Mushroom Barley Stuffed Cabbage
This vegetarian alternative to classic stuffed cabbage rolls is a favorite of
our many young vegetarian guests. It has become more and more common for some
of our student guests to be serious vegetarians. My in-laws also became
vegetarians over the past 15 years, so I try to keep a variety of substantial
and interesting recipes handy for family gatherings. This particular recipe
is based on one from Anna Thomas, The Vegetarian Epicure II,
Alfred Knopf, 1978. I use the same method here as for the meat-stuffed
cabbage rolls, that is, I freeze the head of cabbage to denature the leaves
and make them easier to separate without par-boiling.
Ingredients
- 1 large head green cabbage
- Mushroom-Barley Stuffing
- 4 T. olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes packed in their juice
- 1/4 cup red wine
- salt
- pepper
Put the cabbage in the freezer the night before preparing this dish. Then
defrost in the microwave, and separate the leaves. Wash each leaf.
Put a rounded tablespoon of stuffing in each leaf, and roll from the thick end.
Heat the oil in a large skillet, and sauté the onions, garlic, and paprika
in it until the garlic is golden. Add the tomatoes and red wine, and
salt and pepper. Simmer for 1/2 hour. Oil a 2 quart, shallow baking dish.
Put half of the sauce into the dish,
arrange the cabbage rolls on the sauce, and cover with
the remaining sauce. Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes.