If like me, you love vegetarian cooking and enjoy experimenting with new recipes, you’re in the right place! By now you know me, and you know I don’t like to be ordinary, even if the words “vegetarian” or “vegan” often alarm those who prefer to stick with traditional cooking! I say that opening up to new flavors is always a sign of openness and curiosity, but far be it from me to think that those who don’t are wrong! Everyone has their own way of seeing things, and if there’s one lesson I’ve learned in these years since I started the blog, it’s that you never make mistakes in cooking, even when you make mistakes, because you learn more from those than from anything else. If passion is the engine that drives us to create, well, then all the conditions are there to make great preparations! In my small and modest contribution, I try to propose recipes that enhance seasonal ingredients, trying to rework them with the taste, imagination, and creativity that are most congenial to me! I hope to succeed and to be a source of inspiration for you sometimes! For the occasion, I present my cabbage rolls stuffed with rice. This dish involves an initial cooking of the grain in a broth rich in flavors, then it is further flavored with an egg and diced provola cheese which, in contact with the heat of the just-finished cooking, will start melting properly. It is all put in the oven to gratinate until a really tasty crust is created!
All “vegetarian” recipes are without meat and/or fish (N.B. there may be the use of other animal-based foods, such as eggs and cheese).
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economic
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 8 rolls
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Carnaroli rice
- 8 leaves Savoy cabbage (large)
- 2 cups Vegetable broth
- 2 Carrots
- 3 slices Delica pumpkin
- 1.75 oz Savoy cabbage (julienne cut)
- White wine
- 1 Leeks
- 1 Eggs
- 4 oz Mild provola cheese
- 1.75 oz Pecorino romano (grated)
- to taste Flavored breadcrumbs
- 1 bunch Parsley
- to taste Extra virgin olive oil
- to taste Salt
- to taste Black pepper
Preparation:
Wash and blanch the cabbage leaves in boiling salted water for 1′. Blot them with absorbent paper and set aside. Remove the skin and any seeds from the pumpkin slices and dice them. In a large pan, lightly brown the finely chopped leek, then add the sliced carrots and rice and toast for 2′ (fig. 1).
Also add the julienne cut cabbage and diced pumpkin. Deglaze with ⅕ cup of white wine, then cover with vegetable broth and bring to a boil (fig. 2).
Lower the heat and cook for about 18′, adding more hot broth only if necessary (fig. 3).
Once cooked, turn off the heat and let cool slightly, then drain (fig. 4).
Mix the rice and vegetables in a bowl with the egg, grated pecorino, diced provola, and chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper (fig. 5).
Make rolls from the cabbage leaves, stuffing them with the rice mixture and another sprinkle of pepper (fig. 6).
Close and place in a well-oiled baking dish, drizzle with the remaining wine, and sprinkle with more pecorino and flavored breadcrumbs (fig. 7).
Put in a preheated oven at 400°F for 25′, then activate the grill for another 5′ to gratinate (fig. 8).
Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Then serve. And voilà… your cabbage rolls stuffed with rice and pumpkin are ready to be enjoyed!
Enjoy from Fefè’s kitchen!
