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Stuffed Cabbage Recipe with Pork Mince and Red Wine
Cabbage is very versatile. You might remember unappetizing mounds of it sitting on your plate in childhood but in fact, you can do plenty with this tasty green vegetable. Here is one of many delicious and healthy stuffed cabbage recipes you can make with this vegetable. Stuffing the cabbage with a pork and rice mixture results in a very tasty stuffed cabbage head. The filling is livened up with the addition of wine, paprika, sour cream and more to give plenty of flavor to this stuffed cabbage recipe.
So if you were wondering how do you make stuffed cabbage, just read on. The following recipe is an ideal way to make a hearty, satisfying dinner with minimum fuss. The stuffed cabbage just needs to be baked so you can make it in advance or let it cook while you prepare other dishes. This is one of the most interesting pork mince recipes you can make, as well as one of the best stuffed cabbage recipes.
The concept of stuffed cabbage might sound a bit strange to you, especially if you have never considered making stuffed cabbage recipes before but this recipe is delicious as well as very economical. Cabbages are easily available most of the time and there are all kinds of fillings you can choose from. This Eastern European delicacy is an elegant looking dish as well as an unusual one. It is colorful and it looks really appetizing.
Stuffed Cabbage Recipes
Ingredients -
1½ lbs pork mince
½ cup rice
2 tablespoons paprika
1 cup red wine
2 cups tomato juice
20 oz sauerkraut
1 pint sour cream
1 large whole cabbage
¾ cup green bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Cook the rice for 10 minutes then drain it and set aside. Wash the cabbage and remove its core, leaving the base and outside whole (you should remove about a fourth from the middle). Place it in boiling salted water so that it is completely covered. With a knife and fork, remove more of the central leaves as they wilt but leave enough so the cabbage is strong enough to maintain its shape and hold a filling. After 45 minutes, drain the cabbage.
Heat the oven to 325ºF. In a bowl, combine the pork, seasonings, rice, sauerkraut, tomato juice, red wine and green pepper. Stir this mixture well and use it to stuff the cabbage. You might want to use wooden kebab skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes beforehand, if the cabbage loses its shape, to hold it together.
Place the cabbage in a roasting pan. Fill the pan with an inch of water. Cover and bake for about an hour and a half or until everything is cooked through. Remove and spread the sour cream on the top of the cabbage filling. Bake for 5 minutes more to melt it through the meat mixture.
(Serves 6)
Wine Suggestion:
Which Wine to Serve with This Recipe
A soft and fruity wine is the perfect accompaniment to this stuffed cabbage head recipe and other stuffed cabbage recipes, such as Hungarian stuffed cabbage or Polish stuffed cabbage. If you are making crockpot stuffed cabbage, you will need to stuff the leaves individually unless your crockpot is huge.
With pork mince recipes, you can serve either white or red wine, depending on the other ingredients. For the above dish, a Chardonnay or Pinot Gris is ideal if you prefer white wine. These should be served at 50ºF. If you prefer a fruity red, choose something like Pinot Noir, which is best served at 55ºF.
Photo Description:
A Picture of Stuffed Cabbage Recipe with Pork Mince and Red Wine - As you can see from the photo, this stuffed cabbage looks really impressive. The flavorful pork filling is spiced with paprika, red wine and more and the sour cream on top melts wonderfully through the whole stuffed cabbage, infusing the pork mixture with a delicious tang. This is a mouthwatering dish. It is suitable for any age and any occasion. Total beginners will find stuffed cabbage recipes really easy to make and once you have tried one stuffed cabbage recipe you will want to make this special dish again because the flavor is unlike anything else you might have tried.
California Red Wines
Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the best-known California red wines. It is robust in flavor and very dark red in color. This wine goes well with pasta, meat, and many kinds of seafood. Merlot is a full-bodied red with a deep red color. It is very good with red meat and stands up well to rich meat dishes. Pinot Noir is slightly more muted in flavor and lighter than Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Fish, pasta, and some beef recipes go well with Pinot Noir.
Syrah comes in various shades of red is but similar in some ways to Pinot Noir. Syrah is great with Cuban or Mexican dishes or anything spicy or very flavorful. Red Zinfandel goes with almost anything, from fish, pizza, spicy food to filet mignon. It is common to find Red Zinfandel on restaurant wine lists through the United States because it is pleasant in flavor and pairs well with so many different foods.
Choosing a Good Bottle of Red Wine
Merlot is smooth, soft, and slightly sweet when you compare it to a vibrant wine like Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a good place to begin, if you are new to red wine tasting. Merlot is great with roast turkey, beef, or game meats. This refreshing and clean wine does not have a heavy finish so it is nice to drink by itself rather than to accompany dinner. Sangiovese is a very acidic wine - choose this if you are eating cheese or red meat. Barolo is a fragrant wine and you might be able to smell violets or roses in it. Enjoy this rich-colored ruby red wine when eating barbecued food.
If you fancy something earthy and fruity at the same time, why not go for a Cabernet Sauvignon. Not only is this one of the most famous wines to come out of California wine country but it is a strong, full-bodied red wine which is ideal with red meat or cheese. It is also really good with lamb recipes or even chocolate. Not many red wines go with chocolate but Cabernet Sauvignon is rich flavored and bold enough to do so. Cabernet Franc, which is nice with chicken, turkey, or pasta, is another good option.
More Tips for Choosing a Good Wine
Price is an indication of quality but it is not the only the only factor. Just because one of the wines on the restaurant menu costs, $80 does not mean you will necessarily like it. Maybe you want a red wine to go with an unusual dish like a stuffed cabbage recipe. If you have never matched a wine to such a dish, it is unlikely that you will be able to envision the flavor of the meal or which wine would go best with it. It is very bad form to send a bottle of wine back in a restaurant if you do not like it, so order your wine by the glass instead if you really are not sure.
When ordering wine, it is a good idea to ask the sommelier, or wine waiter, for suggestions. This does not mean you are completely ignorant about wine. It actually shows that you are interested enough in wine to want a recommendation and you are aware that different wines suit different foods. You can ask for a budget wine or a mid-price wine if you like, although a good sommelier will give you various suggestions so you can choose the wine you can afford.
Learn More About Wine>> California Wine Country Mini Articles are spread through out the site get a list of articles at this link.
