For starters, cut the core out of the cabbage, and trip off the stems. Seperate the leaves individually. In some SALTED boiling water, dump them in for a minute or two (blanch them), then when pulling them out, place them in a bowl of ice water to shock em and stop the cooking. They should be nice and maliable, But still bright and colorful. It'll season them, and the leaves will be cooked evenly as apposed to dunking, pulling out, dunking, etc. etc. As well, salt the water to season them and it raises the temp of the water to "flash cook" them quicker which is what you want when blanching something.
As for a sauce, A "gastrique". It's more of a "sweet and sour" type thing, But that's what id opt for.
Sweat out a couple of tablespoons of minced garlic, same amount of shallots and minced up fresh ginger or gongala, and if available, some lemongrass chopped up. slowly cook them in a little oil (again, season them) until they're translucent. Add a shot of vinegar (a fruity vinegar, like plum and 2 cups will make enough for about 4 to 6 people) and equal parts sugar or honey. (or hell... little of both). Bear in mind, that if you DO use lemongrass, you'll want to strain this mixture as it's tough as nails. Just strain it after you add the vinegar and sugar, and it boils for a few minutes (so it gets the flavor of the goodies you just added).
Add anything that would go well. Currants, diced tomato, raisins, dried cherries, bay leaf, black pepper, minced red onion, a little hoission sauce, Bell pepper, jalapenio, a little lime or lemon zest, some kaffir lime leaf, chilis (if you like spice) etc. Eventually, this will thicken up into almost a "syrup", in which case, finish it with just a little bit of butter. You can add some spices too... a little nutmeg, pinch of clove, cinn, star anise, etc. etc. If you add any fresh herbs, do it LAST, as when you cook herbs too long, their color will turn and look like hell. If the sauce is too strong for your liking, then after it's cooked down, simply add some water to it until the taste is right, then use some cornstarch mixed with cold water to thicken it to the consistancy you want.
Bake the cabbage rolls seperately. If you take the leaves, and literally overlap them (say two or three, however large they are), scoop in the filling, then place them in a pan, you can make individual portions. (kind of like little greek "dolmas"). Roll them, and braise them in a pan until they're cooked through. (with the egg and ground meat, the state would say cook the rolls until the interal temperature reached 165, But it'll be dry as hell). Go to about 145, then pull one out, cut it open, and make sure that it's cooked through. If you line them in a pan with a little water or chicken stock in the bottom and braise them, (while they're covered with foil) it shouldn't take any longer than a half an hour in a 375 oven. (but check after 15 mins or so, as the cooking time will depend on the size of your rolls) Again... Just be sure to cut one open. If the pork's cooked... it's done.
If you cook them seperately after individually wrapping them, then you have more control over the seasoning. As well, you can plate them to look ALOT nicer and just finish them with the sauce. It'll be more like a warm chutney... But then again... whatever you prefer. Personally, I DO think it'd be more appropriate and you'd still be able to taste the filling. If it was drenched in all that shit listed above, you wouldn't be able to taste anything but the sauce. (just my thought).
*especially bastardizing all that work with canned tomato soup.... good god*.
The recipie above sounds like a cheap copout on doing a version of a gastrique, But that's the funny thing about "food" in our culture. It takes LITTLE EXTRA effort to do it right from "A to Z" then the convienence of ruining it by taking shortcuts.
One more thing....fuck recipies. There are four parts to a person's taste palate: Sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. A good reference book is "larousse gastronomique". Pick one up sometime. As long as you know the right cooking techniques, "like blanching, simmering, boiling, stewing, braising, saute, ...etc. etc. etc.", and use GOOD ingredients.... that's all you'll EVER need to know. Knowing these also open up that "creative outlet" that will take any intimidation away when it comes to cooking good food.
Have fun!!
p.s. Wrapped and covered, this sauce/ chutney base will last at least a month in the fridge. (because of the vinegar) so if you like it, you might want to double up on your batch, and keep it as it goes great with pork, duck, game, beef, poultry, etc. etc. (it's a little too strong for fish though).
New Brain
