Lachanodolmades (Cabbage Dolmades) and A Winner!

First of all let me just thank each and every one of you again for your beautiful wishes and comments. I really appreciate them a lot. We may live far away from one another, but we are all part of this beautiful community that has no borders and distances.

Now back to our weekly recipe. This is not an easy meal, neither is it a quick one, but, there is a big but in this case, it is delicious. Lachanodolmades or cabbage dolmades or stuffed cabbage (choose the name you like the most) is mainly a winter meal here in Greece. This is a hearty food for cold winter days or nights; at least that’s how I perceive it.

As I told you, I wanted to do something really good to eat last weekend. My son and my husband went fishing, so that was the perfect time for me. I had all house by myself, totally alone and carefree and yet I decided to do this dish which requires time and effort. Am I crazy or am I crazy. But I was craving those dolmades for days and I grasped the opportunity given to me. Anyway, to make the long story short, by the time my men arrived back from fishing the meal was ready and served. I am giving you the recipe and this is how we do it in my family. Don’t let the length of the ingredients and instructions intimidate you. I was trying to be very thorough and detailed for everybody to be able to do it well.

First with a sharp knife we cut the tough down part of cabbage roundly as you see in the pictures and discard the piece. In a big pot we put the cabbage and add water. Put it in the stove in high heat. When the water starts boiling, lower heat to medium and let cook until cabbage becomes soft. When it’s ready, take it out of the pot and let it drain. Don’t turn off the heat and don’t throw the water from the pot, just let it boil slowly, you will understand why in a few moments. Start peeling the cabbage carefully, placing its leaves in a plate. Most of the times the cabbage is soft outside but as we proceed to the heart of it, the leaves are not as cooked and soft. When you arrive at this point just put it again in the pot and let it cook until it is soft again.

In the meantime, prepare the beef. In a bowl put the bread and soak it in water. In another bowl put all the other ingredients. Take the bread and drain it very well from the water, so as to become something like a pulp. Add also this to the beef bowl and knead with your hands until everything is incorporated, no more than a minute.

Take a pressure cooker, spread on its bottom 2 cabbage leaves. On these leaves you will place the dolmades. We do that, so as for the dolmades not to be burnt during cooking.

Take a plate, spread a cabbage leaf with the hard part facing towards you and put in the corner that is close to you a small ball of the beef mix. Start folding just like in the pictures. Put it in the pressure cooker. Follow the same procedure with the rest of the cabbage leaves. When you’re done, throw the cups of water, the olive oil and salt. Close the cooker and cook for 45 minutes according to manufacturer’s instructions.

When they are done it is time to make the avgolemono sauce.

Take a medium pot. Add the milk, bring to boil, while boiling add 1 cup of the cabbage stock from the pressure cooker. Then pour the dissolved corn flour and whisk continually until the sauce starts to thicken. Remove from fire and add slowly-slowly the eggs and lemon, stirring constantly. Pour this sauce straight to the pressure cooker where the dolmades are and move the pot in rounds, so as for the avgolemono to go to every dolma in the pot. They are ready to be served.

In case you don’t want to use the pressure cooker, you can follow the same procedure but in the pot. In such case while the dolmades simmer you place a plate on top of them as shown in the picture, so as to maintain their shape. It will take an hour to an hour and a half to cook.