Malfouf (stuffed cabbage)

These delicious little packets could be done vegetarian, but are typically prepared with ground beef, ground lamb or a combination of both.  They can be cooked in a tomato sauce, but we prefer them with garlic and lemon with some Greek yogurt on the side.

Begin by coring a head of cabbage and bringing a large pot of water to a boil.  Place the cabbage into the boiling water, peel away the leaves as they become soft and remove them to another plate to cool.  Continue this process until all of the leaves are soft enough to work with.

Meanwhile, add 1 cup of white rice to a large bowl.

I used a mixture today, but you could use just beef, or just lamb.

Add one pound of ground meat.

Now add 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper (or to your taste) 2 tsp allspice and a pinch of cinnamon.  Mix these spices along with 1/2 cup of olive oil into the meat and rice with your hands until thoroughly combined.

Cut leaves into manageable pieces, place a small amount of meat mixture towards one end of the leaf.

And roll

Place some oil in the bottom of a heavy pan or dutch oven, and place each rolled cabbage carefully inside.

With each layer of cabbage, sprinkle several cloves of garlic

Cover cabbage with water. (This is where I wish I had the talent of some of the ladies I have watched prepare this dish.  Many of them add just the right amount of water so that all of the liquid is absorbed and they turn over the entire pan to create a beautiful “cake” of rolled cabbage)  I have not yet found that sweet spot, so just cover the malfouf with water. 🙂

Place a small plate upside down over the cabbage to keep it from floating and unraveling.

Cover and cook on low heat for about 45 minutes

Remove lid for the last 5 minutes of cooking, squeeze the juice of one lemon into the pot and turn up the heat.

Remove pot from heat. Gently take cabbage rolls from the pot with tongs and place on serving platter.  Serve with a scoop of Greek yogurt