Name: Spiced lamb and rice stuffed cabbage rolls with green tahini sauce
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 Savoy cabbage; 80 gm unsalted butter, chopped; 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts; Lamb filling; 1 small Spanish onion, coarsely grated; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 500 gm minced lamb; 100 gm (½ cup) basmati rice; ¾ tsp each ground allspice and ground cumin; ½ tsp each ground cinnamon and dried mint; 50 gm golden raisins, finely chopped; 50 gm toasted pine nuts; 1 egg; ¼ cup finely chopped parsley, plus extra to serve; 2 tbsp finely chopped dill, plus extra to serve; Sumac onions; 1 small Spanish onion, thinly sliced into rounds; 2 tsp sumac; 2 tbsp lemon juice; Green tahini sauce; ½ cup (loosely packed) parsley; 1/cup (loosely packed) mint, plus extra to serve; 1 small garlic clove, crushed; 1 long green chilli, coarsely chopped; 60 gm hulled tahini; Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Based on the Lebanese dish Malouf, cabbage leaves encase a fragrant filling of spiced mince and rice. Our version includes golden raisins and pine nuts, paired with rose-hued pickled onion for tang and herbaceous green tahini for dipping.

Ingredients

1 Savoy cabbage

80 gm unsalted butter, chopped

2 tbsp toasted pine nuts

Lamb filling

1 small Spanish onion, coarsely grated

2 garlic cloves, crushed

500 gm minced lamb

100 gm (½ cup) basmati rice

¾ tsp each ground allspice and ground cumin

½ tsp each ground cinnamon and dried mint

50 gm golden raisins, finely chopped

50 gm toasted pine nuts

1 egg

¼ cup finely chopped parsley, plus extra to serve

2 tbsp finely chopped dill, plus extra to serve

Sumac onions

1 small Spanish onion, thinly sliced into rounds

2 tsp sumac

2 tbsp lemon juice

Green tahini sauce

½ cup (loosely packed) parsley

1/cup (loosely packed) mint, plus extra to serve

1 small garlic clove, crushed

1 long green chilli, coarsely chopped

60 gm hulled tahini

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Method

Remove 12 outer leaves of cabbage (see note). Blanch cabbage leaves, in batches, in a large saucepan of salted boiling water until tender and flexible (2-3 minutes). Remove with tongs and set aside to cool completely. Once cool, pat dry with paper towel.

For lamb filling, combine all ingredients, 1 tsp sea salt flakes and ¾ tsp coarsely cracked black pepper in a bowl.

Preheat oven to 180°C fan-forced. Divide filling mixture into 12 portions. Working with one cooked cabbage leaf at a time, place on a chopping board; using a sharp knife, remove tough stem from one end. Place a portion of filling in centre and mould the mixture into a rough 8cm log. Pull the stem end of cabbage over meat mixture and fold the right and left sides of the leaf over, then tightly roll to enclose. Repeat with remaining cabbage leaves and filling. Place cabbage rolls seam-side down in an 18cm x 26cm baking dish. Dot with half butter and season. Cover with two layers of aluminium foil and bake until tender (1 hour). Increase oven to 200°C fan-forced. Remove layers of foil and bake until cabbage rolls are golden and crisp (20 minutes)

For sumac onions, combine all ingredients in a bowl, season, and set aside, tossing occasionally, until lightly pickled (15 minutes).

Meanwhile, for green tahini sauce, combine all ingredients and 150ml water in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Season.

Melt remaining butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add pine nuts and cook, stirring, until fragrant (3-4 minutes). Remove from heat.

Arrange cabbage rolls on a large serving platter. Scatter with buttered pine nuts, extra herbs and sumac. Serve with green tahini sauce and sumac onions on the side.

Note

Reserve remaining cabbage for another use.

Maxwell Adey Senior Food Editor & Stylist

Maxwell has always been passionate about food. Born into a restaurateur and award-winning produce farming family, he was strongly steered into pursuing a career in advertising after completing his Bachelor of Public Communication at University of Technology, Sydney. After a very short stint, he decided to enrol in Commercial Cookery at TAFE to follow his true passion. Maxwell started out working in some of Sydney’s finest restaurants (Est., Claude’s and Moon Park) which helped further his love of all things culinary and developed his technical ability to cook. Later, he was lured into the magical world of food publishing where he freelanced for ten years for notable Australian commercial and editorial brands. He has also run his own business where he sells his marinated olives, dressings and sauces at food markets and select retailers. He excitingly joins the Gourmet Traveller team to bring his technical and creative expertise in food to the brand.

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Ingredients

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