Try out this divine Cabbage and Bacon Rolls with Cabbage Pesto recipe. Using the green outer leaves of the cabbage reduces food waste and makes delicious cabbage pesto with mint and walnuts.
Cabbage and Bacon Rolls with Cabbage Pesto Recipe
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
Method:
Rinse rice under water. Cook in 2 litres of boiling water for 35 minutes, uncovered, until tender. Drain and cool.
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.
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.
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.
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 and crusty bread.
To make the cabbage 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.
