I recall, long long ago (like, back in February), mentioning here that every once in awhile I'd share a recipe. I fear I've been rather remiss in that promise, so I'm going to make it up to you tonight.
This is in an idea I got from a cookbook I was looking at in the Outer Podunk Public Library, trying to find something interesting to bring to our next commuter-member potluck at church. It's a way to get the taste of golabki, or stuffed cabbage, without going through the hassle of wrapping them. (If you've ever seen my enchiladas, you'll know why I steer clear of attempting golabki.)
These golabki are inside out -- and the theequit twick is to use Brussels sprouts as filler for a tomato-y meatball. And this is a low-fat version, using lean beef instead of the traditional beef, pork and veal mixture, and baking the meatballs raw instead of browning them first, which also saves a few calories.
Inside-Out Golabki
(And since this is the way I really cook, there are no measurements -- you'll just have to experiment.)
ground round
egg or egg white
a bit of leftover cooked rice
finely minced onion
finely minced garlic
salt and pepper
steamed Brussels sprouts (select the smaller sprouts)
tomato sauce, seasoned to your liking (I put a little bit of brown sugar and a tiny splosh of vinegar in mine)
I used about a pound and a half of ground round; one egg; about a handful of cooked rice; half an onion; a small garlic clove; a 15-ounce can of tomato sauce. This made about 7 large meatballs.
Mix the meat, egg, rice, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Take about a quarter cup of this mixture and form it around a Brussels sprout, making sure to pinch the "filling" end of the meatball together tightly and roll the meatball in your hands to smooth it all over. Place meatballs in a baking dish sprayed with baking spray. Pour tomato sauce over them. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour and a half.
My mostly unbiased evaluation: "They'll eat."
P.S. Since I'd steamed about three quarters of a pound of Brussels sprouts, I had a lot of them left over, so I am marinating them in a red wine/olive oil/Dijon vinaigrette. I am the only sentient being in my household who eats them willingly...so they're mine, all mine!
Coming soon to a church potluck near Outer Podunk
6 comments:
You may actually get me to eat brussel sprouts.
Well, you're not getting me to.
;-)
(But except for the Brussels Sprouts, it sure does sound good....)
Oh, but Brussels sprouts are soooo good...and good for you, I might add. ("Puts hair on your chest," my dad would say. Which is not really a personal goal of mine...but you get the point.)
But, hey -- if you leave out the sprouts, you're left with porcupine meatballs...also a Good Thing.
Now I need to think of some toothsome vegetarian entree for our veggie church members, who tend to have slim pickins at our meat-intensive potlucks.
May I recommend, again, that in general, People should Look East for great vegetarian cuisines: Afghani, South Indian, Greek, Moroccan, and Turkish.
For instance, how about Sigara Borek - a Turkish dish which is "feta cheese filling in homemade filo." Had that recently at a local restaurant, and Mmmmm-mmm. Also on the menu are Felafel, Hummus, Babahanus, Cacik (which is divine: diced cucumbers with mint-yogurt sauce), Stuffed Grape Leaves, Stuffed Peppers with just vegetables and rice, Fried Eggplant served with Yogurt Sauce, and other wonderful things.
Afghan food is divine, too. Listen to this one: Chalaw Kadu, "spiced sauteed pumpkin, topped with yogurt and served with spiced white rice."
It's the spices that are the tricky part, but there's lots of clove and cardamom. Now, if I could only cook any of these dishes, I'd surely give you a recipe.
;-)
(P.S.: Even Julia Child has some great French vegetarian recipes. How about Potato-and-Leek soup (potage), for a great warmer-up on cold winter nights?)
Mmm...I could eat an entire block of feta in one sitting;-) (Which is why my doc has a rhetorical gun to my head about watching my cholesterol.) I was thinking of bringing a Greek salad or spanakopita (surely tempting fate as far as manipulating even the pre-made dough) or something like that. Or maybe an interesting bean salad. Or maybe my mushroom paprikash or stroganoff...fat-free sour cream works with it, too. [Finger on chin, pondering]
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