Cabbage dolma

Tam West

Peeling the big outer leaves from a green cabbage recently, I wondered how to save them from going to waste. That plant put a lot of care into growing them and I wanted to show my appreciation. Once steamed they turned a beautiful deep green colour and dolma popped into my mind. They’re traditionally made with grape leaves stuffed with a rice or meat filling, and quite small. Cabbage leaves are big, more like a wrap, which led me to the idea of a lunch version. I had leftover rice in the fridge, and with a bit of jazzing up it turned into a tasty filling. A few spare canned beans added protein and fresh herbs from the garden were a perfect final touch. I had parsley and basil available: you could use oregano or rosemary just as happily.

Ingredients

4 Tbsp	Olive oil
¼	Lemons, use the zest, very thinly sliced
2	Onions, sliced thinly
6	Garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp	Ground pepper
1 Tbsp	Smoked paprika
⅓ cup	Kalamata olives, chopped, about 20 olives (Main)
2 Tbsp	Juice from olive jar (Main)
1 ½ cups	Chopped tomatoes, or 1 cup canned (Main)
1 tsp	Salt
2 cups	Cooked brown rice (Main)
½ cup	Canned beans, cannellini or borlotti are good
¼ cup	Chopped parsley
8	Basil leaves, chopped
1	Green cabbage, use 6 of the outer leaves (Main)

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan then add lemon zest and let it sizzle for 15 seconds before adding onion, garlic and pepper. Turn heat down low and cook gently for 5 minutes until softened.
2. Add smoked paprika and stir through, then add olives with their juice, tomato and salt. Cook another 5 minutes until tomato is soft and falling apart. Add rice, beans and herbs then cook another 5 minutes until fully heated through.
3. Cut thickest pieces of stem from cabbage leaves then steam in a big pot for 5 minutes until softened.
4. Lay cabbage leaves on a board and divide rice mixture evenly between them, then wrap each leaf with the veins on a slight diagonal so they are easy to roll into a tight bundle.
5. Serve handheld as a lunchbox meal. You could also serve them for dinner on a bed of fresh tomato sauce with some (vegan!) cheese grilled on top.