I am happy to share with you my vegan version of this traditional recipe of  Savoy Cabbage leaves that wrap inside a hearty and a very pleasing filling. Paired with some lingonberry preserves, it’ll make a gorgeous plating. Rolling these up with an intention is very soothing as they form quite a homogenous rows still expressing the uniqueness of each leaf, like a fingerprint. Doesn’t it look beautiful?

Ingredients

• savoy cabbage
• long-grain rice
• red lentils
• onion
• garlic
• textured soy protein granules 
• organic vegetable bouillon
• red chili
• black and white pepper
• lovage
• bbq spice 
• balsamic vinegar
• brown sugar

Also known as the curly cabbage, this beautiful winter vegetable is a fantastic ingredient to have as a kitchen staple. Because of its endless cooking options, from slaw to soups and sauerkrauts, it has an incredible flavor and texture span. Savoy cabbage belongs to the Brassica family along with broccoli, cauliflower, and kale, and although it is low in calories, it has an impressive nutrient profile. Savoy cabbage is a good source of protein, calcium, phosphorus, and copper. It also provides plenty of dietary fiber, vitamins A, C, K, B6, folate, magnesium, potassium, and manganese to one’s diet. It also works miracles for our gut and brain health. And the list goes on.

Winters are for soul food

It must be the first cold November morning this year; I thought as I kept on wandering around the house, holding onto my hot coffee cup. I had prepared for this annual weather shift by starting to wear woolen socks months in advance. Whenever the luxury of an empty house and on a slow morning falls into my calendar, something extraordinary happens. I get excited. My creativity takes over the sleepy lightless morning, and it leads me to food.

As I was standing in the kitchen still in my nighties, I opened up the fridge and saw the gorgeous Savoy Cabbage bought earlier that week. What should I make of it? Spicy soup? Maybe cabbage rolls? Yes! That’s it. But before this could be, I needed to confirm something, whether I had some lingonberry or not. I knew where to look as I got on the tips of my toes to search the upper shelves of the fridge.

And there it was. A small jar of Mom’s traditional homemade lingonberry preserves from last fall with an etiquette with her handwriting on it. It said Puolukka, lingonberry in Finnish. I felt a massive appreciation for Mom and her continuous efforts to keep the real, homemade foods in my repertoire of condiments.

Feeling content about my lunch plans, I went and sat down in the corner of the sofa, that popular spot where there is a slight dip to prove it, for just a moment more before getting on the roll with Mr. Savoy.

As I took the last slow sip of my coffee, I got up, walked into the kitchen, and started to gather all the ingredients for the cabbage rolls to the kitchen counter. I haven’t cooked vegan cabbage rolls before, and that means I get to improvise. And that suits me more than well.

Step by step

Let’s start with the cookware; you’ll need two pots, a large one for the savoy cabbage leaves, and another for rice and lentils. Bring water to boil in both dishes. Grab a large frying pan for the veggies that will make the base of the filling. Next, prepare the cabbage. Remove about sixteen leaves off the cabbage and wash them. Cut off the core and slice the remains of the cabbage for the filling. Chop the onion and garlic and slice the red chili pepper. Toss clean cabbage leaves into boiling water and let them soften for five minutes or so. Then drain them, dip into cold water and set aside to cool.

Separate one deciliter of hot cabbage boiling water and add it into a ceramic bowl. Add with it one deciliter of organic textured soy protein granules. Add vegetable bouillon and stir well. Let the soy soak in all the liquid and the meantime, rinse red lentils and place them into the other pot filled with hot water with the rice and some salt. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes and note that the mix will keep on cooking while in the oven, and therefore a slight bite in rice is perfectly fine.

While the pots are bubbling away on the stove, it is a great time to cut the onion, garlic, and the remains of the cabbage. Place these three ingredients into a large pan, wok pan with a lid works excellent, add olive oil, and saute for five. Mix in the spices; chili, salt, black pepper, white pepper, bbq spice mix, and lovage and saute for ten more minutes until the filling is soft. Stir in sugar and balsamic vinegar. Taste to check the flavor balance, you want it to be recognizably sweet. Mix the mixture; soaked soy, rice, lentils, and cabbage.

For the fun part, filling the leaves, you’ll need a large cutting board and a rolling pin. Start by setting one pre-cooked cabbage leaf on the cutting board, stem facing your way, and run the rolling pin over the stem to make it flatter and softer, notice that you may have to use a little bit pressure on it. In case you feel like trimming it with a pairing knife, add the slither to the filling mixture — another way to cut down the amount of food waste, yay! Then place two tablespoons of filling onto the bottom half of the leaf. Firstly fold the bottom over the filling, then wrap on both sides. Finish by rolling it into a tight package. Repeat fifteen times. Place cabbage rolls snugly into a large, oiled oven dish. To maximize the tastiness and looks of this meal paste with maple syrup and balsamic vinegar tincture before cooking in 200 Celcius in the middle rack for an hour or until perfectly brown. 

Savoy Cabbage has a little bit chewier bite feel to it than, for example, white cabbage, and I think it adds more character to the dish.

These rolls taste great by themselves, but my favorite side dish is potato. I got these potatoes from my mother and decided to serve it boiled with the skin on to preserve the nutrients and flavor. When you cut the potatoes open, add a good dollop of vegan butter on top and a generous amount of gourmet salt.

It is an unwritten law in my kitchen that if cabbage is served, there must be lingonberry in the menu aswell. Its a match made somewhere along the line of history suited perfectly together; the acidic infused sweetness of lingonberry jam compliments the slightly bitter yet subtly spicy flavors of savoy cabbage rolls. It is a hit every single time!

SAVOY CABBAGE ROLLS

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This old school dinner just got a redo! These incredibly tasty savoy cabbage rolls are savory and little sweet, hearty and full of high quality nutrition. Bite after another the flavors that have developed in the oven form a delicate yet bold bond just to win over your taste buds.

• Author: Emilia Järvelä
• Prep Time: 30
• Cook Time: 60
• Total Time: 90
• Yield: 16 rolls 1x
• Cuisine: finnish

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1,2 kilograms Savoy Cabbage
• 2 liters water
• 1 teaspoon salt

Filling

• 2 deciliters  long grain rice
• 1,2 liters  water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 deciliter organic red lentils
• 1 deciliters organic textured soy protein granules
• 1 dl boiling water
• 1 vegetable bouillon concentrate
• 3 tablespoon organic olive oil
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 cloves of organic garlic
• 1 small red chili pepper
• the heart of the savoy cabbage that is left after peeling the 16 leaves for the rolls
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoons white pepper
• 1 teaspoons lovage
• 2 tablespoons bbg spice mix
• 2 tablespoons organic brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons organic balsamic vinegar

For pasting

• 1/2 deciliters organic maple syrup
• 1/2 tablespoons organic balsamic vinegar

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Instructions

1. Separate 16 leaves off the cabbage and rinse them.
2. Bring 2 liters of water and 1 teaspoon of salt to boil. Add cabbage leaves and let them soften up for five minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
3. Make the filling
4. Boil 1,3 liters of water.
5. Separate 1 deciliter of boiling water from the pot, add into a bowl with 1 dl textured soy protein granules. Add vegetable bouillon. Stir and set aside to soak.
6. Add salt, rice and rinsed lentils to the pot and stir. Cook for about ten minutes and drain, set aside to cool.
7. Cut onion garlic and what is left of the cabbage thinly. Heat a large pan, wok pan with a lid works great, add olive oil and saute for five minutes.
8. Add spices; chili, salt, black pepper, white pepper, spice mix and lovage and saute for ten more minutes until the filling is soft. Stir in sugar and balsamic vinegar. Taste to check the flavor balance.
9. Mix the filling; soaked soy, rice, lentils and cabbage together. Check the salt and sweetness.
10. Grab a large cutting board and a rolling pin. Set cabbage leaf on the cutting board, stem facing you.
11. Run the rolling pin over the stems to make them flat and soft. You can also trim it with knife and add it into the filling. Always say no to food waste.
12. Set 2 tablespoons of filling onto bottom half of the leaf and roll into a tigh package.
13. Set rolls side by side into a large, oiled oven dish.
14. Measure organic maple syrup and balsamic into a cup, paste the rolls with the sweet mixture.
15. Heat the oven to 200 C. Cook savoy cabbage rolls in the middle rack for an hour.
16. Serve, drizzle with some home infused fresh and organic garlic oil and serve with lingonberry jam.

Notes

• Add to the filling some finely ground cardamom, cumin and dried cranberries and serve with vegan gravy and country-style mashed potatoes.
• Go back to basics -devour them by hand like wraps or burritos with your favorite dipping sauce. Sauce Suggestions: sweet chili, ginger-soy or teriyaki.