Cabbage & Bacon Rolls with Cabbage Pesto

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups red rice
• 12 large green outer cabbage leaves (or savoy) 
• 1 tbsp rice bran oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 12 rashers streaky bacon
• 1 tbsp caraway seeds
• ½ cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 500ml chicken stock
• Crusty bread, to serve

Cabbage Pesto

• 50g walnuts
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 large green outer cabbage leaf (extra)
• 1 cup mint leaves
• 50g parmesan, grated
• 1 cup olive oil

Cabbage & Bacon Rolls with Cabbage Pesto Method

1. Rinse rice under water. Cook in 2 litres of boiling water for 35 minutes, uncovered, until tender. Drain and cool.
2. Blanch cabbage leaves in a pot of boiling water, cooking each leaf for 30-40 seconds. Drain, cool. Pat dry, then trim large ribs from base of leaves.
3. Heat oil in a frying pan and cook onion, garlic, bacon, caraway seeds and parsley for 5 minutes. Stir in cooked rice and tomato paste. Season.
4. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan forced). Place one twelfth of the mixture (around 1 tbsp) along the base of each cabbage leaf. Roll up, folding in sides as you go. Pack rolls, tightly, join-side down, in a heavy-based baking dish. 
5. Pour stock over cabbage rolls. Cover baking dish with a layer of baking paper and tin foil. Cook in oven for 40 minutes. Serve with a little of the cooking liquid and a spoonful of pesto. 
6. To make the pesto, toast the walnuts and garlic cloves in oven for 10 minutes. Remove and peel the garlic. Put the extra cabbage leaf in a food processor with mint leaves, walnuts, garlic and parmesan. Blend until pureed. Slowly drizzle in olive oil until emulsified. Keep in fridge until ready to serve.