This comfort-food recipe is from Simply Vibrant, a new plant-based cookbook from mother-daughter duo Anya Kassoff and Masha Davydova of Golubka Kitchen.
Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free tomes make up the bulk of cookbooks that arrive at the Star nowadays. While more options are always great for home cooks, I find many of the authors have restricted themselves to MacGyver-ing comfort food dishes by subbing out essential flavours and textures. The result is often a flavourless and overly complicated version of the original.
So what made me want to cook from Simply Vibrant ($35, Roost Books), the second vegetarian cookbook from mother-daughter lifestyle bloggers Anya Kassoff and Masha Davydova of Golubka Kitchen, is its more relaxed approach to plant-based cooking. As Kassoff writes in the intro, if cheese, eggs, or ghee makes the dish taste better, she’s gonna use it. Their recipes also contain ingredients that are relatively easy to find. At most, they require a trip to the Asian grocer to find kombu (dried kelp) to make soup, or to the bulk food store for spelt flour to make pizza dough.
Like most vegetarian cookbooks, there are recipes for salad bowls, curries, wraps and pastas, but what sticks out in Simply Vibrant are the numerous recipes that take grains and seeds beyond grain bowls, such as Stewed Rhubarb Amaranth Porridge, Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes, Coriander Millet Porridge with Rosemary-Grape Compote, and Teff And Apple Pancakes.
While I’m patiently waiting for grapes to be in season to make the Fig and Grape Pancakes, for this week’s Cook This Book I made the vegetarian cabbage rolls from the U.S.-based, Russian-born duo.
The rolls are a hearty Sunday meal option perfect for this seemingly endless winter.
Spring Cabbage Rolls With Mushrooms, Lentils, Rice And Tomato Sauce
To make the cabbage leaves easier to peel, the book recommends freezing the head overnight, then defrosting it. Since I was short on freezer space, I used an alternate method: submerging the cabbage in boiling water to loosen the outer leaves (the steps are detailed in the recipe below). This allows you to skip the freezer method’s additional step of blanching the frozen leaves in boiling water to soften them for rolling. The rolls are spicy, so for a milder version use half the amount of chili flakes.
1 large head green cabbage
2 tbsp (30 mL) neutral-tasting coconut oil or olive oil
2 tsp (10 mL) ground cumin
2 tsp (10 mL) ground coriander
1/2 tsp (2 mL) chili flakes
1 large red onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb (454 g) crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh thyme leaves, optional
1 cup (250 mL) long-grain brown or white rice, rinsed
2 1/2 cups (625 mL) boiling water
1/2 cup (125 mL) green lentils, soaked overnight
28 oz (796 mL) can of crushed tomatoes
Plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, for garnish
Fill a large pot with enough water to submerge cabbage. Over high heat, bring water to boil. Submerge cabbage into water for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from water, let cool slightly and peel off outer leaves. Set aside peeled leaves until ready to use. Submerge cabbage in water again to peel off more outer leaves. Continue until no more leaves can be removed. Reserve cabbage core, any torn or ripped leaves and leaves that are too small.
In another large pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add cumin, coriander and chili. Stir until fragrant, 1 minute. Add onion and a pinch (about 1/2 tsp) of salt. Sauté for 7 to 8 minutes, or until onions are translucent. Add mushrooms and thyme, if using. Add salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook until mushrooms are browned and cooking liquid has mostly evaporated, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Add rice and boiling water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cover and let cook for 30 minutes or until rice is almost tender. Add lentils. Stir and cover. Continue to simmer for another 15 minutes or until lentils are tender. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
Using emptied pot used to blanch cabbage, line bottom of pot using reserved torn and small cabbage leaves. Chop cabbage core into small pieces and sprinkle on top of leaves. Set aside.
On a plate, assemble cabbage rolls by spooning 2 tbsp to 3 tbsp (30 mL to 45 mL) of mushroom-rice filling on to centre of a cabbage leaf. Fold lower end over filling, then sides and roll up tightly. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling.
Arrange assembled rolls in a single layer in pot. Cover with a third of crushed tomatoes. Arrange another layer of rolls on top and cover with another third of crushed tomatoes. Repeat with remaining rolls and tomatoes. Cover pot and bring tomato to a boil over high heat. Lower to a simmer and cook for 1 hour, or until cabbage is tender.
Remove from heat. Let cool slightly. Transfer to serving plates and top with yogurt or sour cream. Refrigerate rolls in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to a month.
Makes 14 to 16 cabbage rolls.
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