Braised Cabbage Stuffed with Sausage & Fennel
My mom used to make stuffed peppers, but I don’t like peppers. What I liked was the stuffing. So I’ve taken my mom’s recipe, tweaked it, and stuffed it in cabbage instead. I’ve also added chicken livers. The livers add an earthy richness that makes this dish super-special. If you don’t like chicken livers—or think you don’t—this is one time where you should get beyond the ick factor, accept that they’re worth adding, and move on . . . because this dish rocks.
Recipe information
Yield
serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients
for the sauce
for the cabbage and stuffing
Preparation
FOR THE SAUCE
Step 1
In a food processor, purée the onion, celery, fennel, and garlic to a coarse paste.
Step 2
Coat a large wide pan with olive oil and add the pancetta; bring to medium heat and cook until brown and crispy, 4 to 6 minutes.
Step 3
Add the puréed veggies, ground fennel seeds, and red pepper and cook until the vegetables become soft and aromatic and start to brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
Step 4
Add the wine, bring to a boil (BTB), and reduce by half, 3 to 4 minutes.
Step 5
Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, and bay leaves and season with salt. Bring to a boil (BTB) and reduce to a simmer (RTS); cook for 15 minutes. Taste to make sure it’s delicious; adjust the seasoning as needed.
FOR THE CABBAGE AND STUFFING
Step 6
Add the vinegar to large pot of well-salted water, bring it to a boil (BTB), and set up a large bowl of well-salted ice water. Add the cabbage to the boiling water and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until just tender; immediately plunge it into the salty ice water. When the leaves are cool, remove them from the water and pat dry. Reserve.
Step 7
Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil. Add the onion, fennel, and red pepper and season with salt. Bring the pan to medium heat and cook the vegetables until soft and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool.
Step 8
In a large bowl, combine the sausage, bread crumbs, Parm, chicken livers (if using), and egg. Season with salt, add 1/2 cup water, and mix well to combine; if the mixture seems too dry, add up to another 1/2 cup water—it should be kind of wet. Stir in the onion-fennel mixture.
Step 9
Make a 1- to 2-inch tester patty. In a small sauté pan, heat a bit of oil and cook the patty. When it’s cool enough, taste it to make sure it’s delicious—if it’s not, reseason.
Step 10
Lay each cabbage leaf on a flat work surface. Spoon about 1/4 cup of filling into each leaf. Fold the outside edges in and roll the leaf around the stuffing. Place each roll on the work surface with the seam side down so the roll will hold itself shut. Look at us, always thinking!
Step 11
Add the cabbage rolls to the sauce, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, then uncover and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve the cabbage rolls with the sauce spooned over them.
