Vegan Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Corn Grits
For several years now, on the Old Christmas Eve, I'm looking to upload recipes that are meaningful for our family, the ones you may not find everywhere and which are certainly dear and unique because that's how our grandmother or mother used to cook. My grandma would make this particular recipe on the Christmas Eve - stuffed cabbage rolls with corn grits we used to call it back home, in Bessarabia. They don't have meat and, despite the very simple ingredients, these cabbage rolls are very tasty. So, keep them in mind when you want to cook something different, vegan, Lenten or simply delicious. Combinations of rice and meat can also be made, but simple they seem fantastic to me.
On the Christmas Eve we would go to grandma's. She used to cook only Lenten food for the evening - sauerkraut pies, potato pies, these cabbage rolls, braided bread - colaci and, definitely, sweet wheat berry pudding. She would lit a candle at the icon and give us plates filled with wheat as alms.
It took me some time to figure the ratio, questions and advice from my aunt for the perfect recipe. And that's because when my grandmother was making the recipes, I didn't care about them, the food was good and ready-made :)
Wash well the sauerkraut and let sit in water for an hour. We need to reduce the saltiness.
Cut the onion into small cubes, grate the carrot.
In a deep frying pan, heat the oil and cook the carrots and onions together.
Mix well and leave for about 10 minutes over medium heat to soften.
Add the pepper paste or tomato paste, mix well and turn off heat.
It should be looking like this.
Here you can see here how the corn grits look. The grains are slightly bigger than corn flour for polenta.
I can buy it from any supermarket in Moldova. Here, in Romania, you can find it at any health shop but the safest is at the farmers' market.
If you know where it can be found in Bucharest, or in which stores in the country, I would be happy if you wrote in the comments.
Rinse the grits thoroughly several times, until there are no more white flakes in the water.
Mix the washed and drained grits with the cooked vegetables, season with salt.
Take a 3-4 liter Dutch oven and arrange pieces of sauerkraut at the bottom - those that cannot be used for rolling - core and thick leaves.
Break the sauerkraut leaves into smaller pieces. Place 1-2 teaspoons of filling on one edge and roll up into small cabbage rolls.
I prefer them smaller because they have the best taste and are perfectly done.
Something like this.
Arrange the cabbage rolls in layers in the pot.
After you've finished all the stuffing, cover the top with the remaining sauerkraut.
Pour over water, but only as much as to cover them, no more!
Cover the pot with a lid. Because mine is not suitable for the oven, I covered with foil.
Bake in the oven for 2 hours at 160 degrees C, then for another 1-2 hours at 100 degrees C. Finally, turn off the oven, leaving the pot there for another hour. This is the most delicious option, but it will take some time.
Or, you can simmer on the stove for an hour, then for another hour over a very, very low heat to cook and then let infuse with the heat off for about half an hour.
Before turning off the heat, in the oven or on the stove, taste them to check for doneness.
If they are done, turn off heat and let infuse.
Serve hot, with a little yogurt or sour cream next to them, if you are not fasting.
These cabbage rolls are very good. Try them and you'll be surprised.
Enjoy!
