COOKING FOR A RAINY DAY

 

Pouring down rain.

Tuesday. I am getting a “red alert” for tomorrow on the weather notifications. We are likely to have a DANA (depresión aislada en niveles altos), a major weather event like the one that caused catastrophic flooding in the Valencia region two weeks ago, leaving more than 200 dead, some still missing, and incredible destruction of homes, businesses and cars. 

Hopefully, the storm front will move quickly past us. I’ll check the notice board again in the morning before I go out. Today I am cooking up a storm, getting ready for a rainy day. A cazuela of stuffed cabbage rolls and a big pot of lamb-barley-vegetable soup simmered from lamb bones stashed in the freezer.

Lamb-barley soup for a rainy day.

Update: Everything closed down on Wednesday—no school, no public transportation, markets closed. No aerobics. It rained a lot all day, sometimes in a torrential downpour. The heavy rain did not persist and, on our mountainside, we had no flooding. 

Málaga capital, where the Guadalhorce river flows into the Mediterranean, flooded. The TV news showed a well-known hypermarket with water running through the aisles beneath the Ibérico hams. A waterspout at sea came ashore as a tornado and caused some damage in a nearby coastal town.

Friday. The sun is shining. I'm off to town for shopping. 

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Rulos de Col Rellenos

Good rainy day project--stuff cabbage leaves and braise them in a savory sauce.

Cabbage rolls are even better reheated the second day.

Juicy pork is especially good in this recipe, but you could use ground beef, lamb, chicken or turkey as well. Or lentils for a vegetarian version.

You need about 16 of the outer leaves of a whole cabbage (see the recipe for how to remove them). Save the rest of the cabbage for another use. 

Tomato season past, use canned tomatoes for this recipe. Best are tomates triturados, whole tomatoes that have been pureed with their juice.

Remove leaves from a head of cabbage.

Serves 4.

1 medium cabbage

½ cup rice

10 ounces ground pork

1 cup finely chopped onions

2 cloves minced garlic

1/3 cup chopped green peppers

1/3 cup sliced olives

¼ cup chopped parsley

¼ teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon smoked pimentón (paprika)

Pinch of dried fennel or fennel seeds

3 tablespoons diced serrano ham (optional)

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup dry Sherry

1 cup tomate triturado

2 cups boiling water or hot stock

2 bay leaves

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut off the stem of the cabbage and cut deeply around the core to loosen the leaves. Very carefully lower the whole cabbage into the water, stem end up. Cook 2 minutes. Use two large spoons to carefully turn the cabbage over. Cook 3 minutes. Remove the cabbage to a colander and let it drain.

Place the rice in a heat-proof bowl. Ladle 1 cup of the boiling cabbage water over the rice and let it set 10 minutes. (Discard the cabbage water or use it to cook the cabbage rolls, if desired.) Drain the rice.

When the cabbage is cool enough to handle, gently separate about 16 of the outer leaves. Use a knife or kitchen scissors to trim away their hard stems. (Cabbage leaves can be prepared a day before filling them. Pat them dry and refrigerate, covered, until ready to use.) 

Place the meat in a mixing bowl. Add the drained rice, onions, garlic, peppers, olives, parsley, thyme, cumin, pimentón, fennel and ham, if using. Mix with a wooden spoon. Season with 1 ½ teaspoons of salt and pepper. Combine well. 

Roll cabbage around meat.

Spread the oil in a braise pan or deep skillet. Place a layer of torn cabbage leaves on the bottom of the pan.

Spread open a cabbage leaf on a work surface. Place a spoonful of the meat mixture near the stem end of the leaf. Fold over the sides of the leaf. Roll the leaf up from the stem end. Place it in the prepared pan. 

Continue rolling all the leaves. If there is more meat filling than leaves, make meatballs with it and tuck them around the cabbage rolls.

Pour over the Sherry and the tomato. Add the boiling water or stock. If using water, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Add pepper and bay leaves. Place on high heat. When the liquid begins to bubble, cover the pan and turn the heat down to a simmer.

Cook the cabbage rolls until the meat is cooked through and the rice very tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Let the cabbage rolls settle 10 minutes before serving or cool and refrigerate them, covered, until the following day.

Variations on stuffed cabbage:

Stuffed Cabbage.

Cabbage Roll-Ups with Spicy Brava Sauce.

The soup pictured at the top was made with  Lamb Bone Broth. with vegetables (onions, carrots and spinach), chickpeas and barley.