Sloppy Cabbage Rolls

Yes, 'tis the season. I'm working my way out of the salad scene and into warm meals to complement the fall weather. Prepare yourself for soups, casseroles and everything cozy.

I can't say I've ever been sold on cabbage rolls, but I'm also not much of a connoisseur on the item. I did, however, have an enormous cabbage given to me and no interest in making five different types of coleslaw to use it. Pickling the thing was an option, but I wasn't up for that either. Given our current weather situation, this warm and easy one pot dish sounded like just the ticket. I spiced it up with some Worcestershire and Chorizo to enhance the recipe's subtle flavours. Depending on your cabbage size, this dish could wind up serving ten to twelve. It should freeze well, but I didn't get the chance now that the Ruedi-vac has returned.

If you're on a low-carb diet, eating this dish on its own would make a good meal. I served it with some roasted buckwheat that I found at the Italian Centre (now with a location in South Calgary!). Yes, I'm as surprised as you to come across yet another grain I haven't cooked with. Of course, rice or potatoes are another option.

I'm also surprised by how ready I am for fall when it arrives, as it means the end of summer, another favorite season that zips by quickly. It has to be the return to a reliable and healthy routine that I need so badly by the end of August.  Cooking regular, healthy meals are part of that routine.

Adapted from: http://www.passthechallah.com/unstuffed-cabbage/

Serves 8

Ingredients

-1 T olive oil
-1 small cabbage, chopped
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 onion, diced
-11/2 lb ground beef
- 300g chorizo, peeled (usually covered in paper) and sliced
-1, 28oz can diced tomatoes
-1, 14oz can tomato sauce
-1 T apple cider vinegar
-1/2 t salt
-3/4 t ground pepper
-2 T sugar
-2 T Worcestershire sauce
-1 T sugar
-juice of 1/2 lemon
-1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

Method

Heat the oil in a large sauce pan on medium heat. Add the onion, stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes. Make a hole in the centre of the pan and add the garlic, letting it sit until its' aroma is released. Add the ground beef, breaking it up and cooking it until it has browned; about 5 minutes.

Add the cabbage, tomatoes, vinegar, salt, pepper and Worcestershire to the pan, combining well with the existing ingredients and simmering for 45 minutes with the lid ajar.

Once cooked, add the sugar and lemon juice and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve topped with the chopped parsley.

Oktoberfest Lager Stew

I love being organized. 

I fight this notion in some parts of my life because I don't want to make the effort to get organized. When it comes to food, there is no fight.  During the week, I want a meal waiting for me when I get home. I don't want to piece together a sandwich, or prepare an out-of-the-box/can combination.  I want something satisfying, nutritious and exciting. Many of the recipes I've tried via this blog have filled these requirements and Oktoberfest stew sounded like it had potential. As the weather begins to turn, the thought of a hearty stew with crusty, butter-laden bread sounded too good to resist. The cider vinegar and lager gives it some punch and the broth seemed to get more flavourful over time. A made a batch on Sunday and really enjoyed the leftovers throughout the week. I recommend adding this to your to-do list.

Adapted from: http://thecozyapron.com

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 T olive olive
• 400 g package of beef sausage, slice into bite size chunks
• 1 1/2 onions, sliced
• 1/2 small cabbage
• 1/4 t ground pepper
• 1/4 t ground caraway seeds
• pinch of salt
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup German-style lager
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 1 1/2 T apple cider vinegar

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the sausage, allowing it to brown well. This should take about five minutes. Stir in the onions so that they caramelize in the heat, about two minutes. Toss in the cabbage letting it soften and then add the pepper, caraway seeds and salt, mixing well. Add the garlic, stirring until it becomes aromatic and then include the lager, letting it sit for about three minutes until the liquid has reduced. Combine the stock, potatoes and carrots and bring the stew to a boil. Once bubbling, reduce heat to low and let the pot simmer for forty minutes with the lid partially on. After forty minutes, add the vinegar and parsley and serve. 

Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Coleslaw & Carnitas

  I've made pulled pork in a crockpot earlier this year, but was keen to try baking it in the oven in order to get that crispy surface area that makes pulled pork so noteworthy. Even with a dry rub, the pork retained quite a bit of moisture. It looks like a lump a charred turd once cooked, but should fall apart easily with a little prodding from your fork and knife and I can assure you, this will be the best turd you've ever prepared! Our first meal with it was a simple sandwich with plum chutney as a sauce. If you have soft buns (lunges will help!) and barbecue sauce, I can only assume you would moan at the pulled pork sandwich combo Paula Deen puts together on her recipe available through the coleslaw link below.

Pulled Pork: http://thewholekitchen.blogspot.com

Serves 8

Ingredients

•  3.5 lbs. pork shoulder (bone in)

• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup kosher salt
• 
1 T chili powder

• 1 T cumin

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• 1 T smoked paprika

1. To make the rub, thoroughly mix together the brown sugar, salt, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes and cayenne.
2. Pat dry the pork shoulder and then liberally apply the rub to all sides. Place in a leak-proof container. Cover and refrigerate for as long as 24 hours, or as little as overnight. It will give up a cup or more of liquid so make sure your container is big enough to prevent spillage.
3. Remove the shoulder from refrigerator, brush off any excess or caked on rub. Move to a clean roasting pan with the fat side up.
4. Heat the oven to 275F. Place in the oven and let roast for 9 hours. Yes, I’m serious about it taking that long. After about 3 hours, there will be enough fat rendered to allow you to baste the shoulder every 1 to 2 hours. With a large spoon simply pour the rendered fat over the shoulder.
5. You will know it’s ready because the outside of the shoulder is extremely dark, nearly burned looking. The pork should pull easily from the bone and the fat/skin on the top should be nearly crispy.
6. Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 30 min. Using a pair of forks or very clean hands pull the pork away from the bone. This should be very easy to do.
7. Serve on a bun with bbq sauce, on tortillas..this list goes on!

Buttermilk Coleslaw Recipe: http://www.pauladeen.com

Serves 6

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1½ T Dijon mustard
• 2 T light brown sugar
• 2 T apple cider vinegar
• 2 T buttermilk
• ½ t celery salt
• 1 t kosher salt
• 1 t freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups finely shredded green cabbage (about ½ head)
• 4 cups finely shredded purple cabbage (about ½ head)
• 2 large carrots, grated

Whisk together the mayo, mustard, brown sugar, vinegar, buttermilk, celery salt, kosher salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the cabbages and carrots and toss to combine. Cover and chill until serving time.

 The following night, we made carnitas with the pork. I opted for tortillas from the Argyll Foods on 63 Avenue. Their little corn tortillas are made with masa flour and make all the difference as far as flavour is concerned. With tomatillo salsa, avocado slices, cilantro and a little sour cream, these were delicious little meals. 

Tomatillo Salsa


Ingredients

• 4 tomatillos, finely chopped
• Juice of one lime
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 large red onion, diced
• 2 T chopped cilantro
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Simply combine the ingredients and serve. Tomatillos are firm in texture and not as juicy as a tomato, so don't be surprised when you slice them open. I remove the seeds from one half of the pepper and leave the seeds from the other half in. This gives me a medium salsa.




Carnitas


As far as the carnitas are concerned, heat your tortilla shells in a dry frying pan on high heat for a minute on each side. Pile as much sour cream, avocado, pork, salsa and other treats that you can handle on top and eat carefully: These babies are messy.

Chinese Lobster Salad

Hell ya! This salad is definitely worth the investment! We stopped by Billingsgate Seafood Market on Saturday to pick up some quality seafood and that's exactly what we got. Along with about a half pound of lobster meat, we purchased two servings of halibut. The difference between what I typically buy at a grocery store and this seafood was noticeable. I would recommend the trip.


This lobster salad was found in the June, 2011 edition of Canadian House & Home magazine. The recipe calls for chow mein noodles (the crunchy-cracker style version). I picked up the wrong type, so the noodles might not appear as you would expect in this picture. 


Serves 6

• 2 T brown sugar
• 2 t soy sauce
• 1 T sesame oil
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 T rice vinegar
• 1 small head of napa cabbage, shredded
• 3 green onions sliced
• 1/2 lb lobster meat chopped into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup of chow mein noodles
• 1 T toasted sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup of toasted slivered almonds
• 1, 284ml can of sliced mandarins

Combine the first five ingredients in a jar, shake well and set aside. Combine all other ingredients in a large bowl and the jarred dressing. Toss well and serve immediately.

Killer Coleslaw

This is my contribution to a potluck tomorrow. A long-time favorite of my family's and so easy to put together. This baddie tends to be a hit with picky eaters too and since this party is for co-workers who don't do vegetables, I'm hoping it's a success.


Adapted from: The Best of the Best: Best of Bridge


Serves 8-10 


Slaw:

• Savoy cabbage finely chopped
• Red pepper finely chopped
• 6 green onions sliced
• 1 package of asian freeze-dried noodles (chicken flavour)
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds 

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• Package of seasoning from the noodles

Combine the first three ingredients for the coleslaw. Crush the package of noodles and throw into a fry pan. Toast the noodles until golden brown, adding sunflower seeds to heat. Combine with the slaw ingredients. Mix the dressing ingredients well and add to the slaw. Serve immediately.


Sesame seeds or sliced almonds would also serve well with this salad.