Stuffed Cabbage Rolls - Kåldolmar

Here's a Swedish classic dish for you! It's called Kåldolmar - "kål" means cabbage, and you'll recognize the other part of the word, "dolmar", as related to "dolmades", the greek dish. This is essentially a meat filling wrapped up in cabbage leaves, then fried or baked. It's also traditionally drizzled with a bit of golden syrup, to give that sweet-salty taste that is very common in Swedish food.

It's usually served with boiled potatoes, a simple gravy and lingonberries. Allow quite a bit of time to prepare this - boiling the cabbage and loosening the leaves does take longer than you'd think. Other than that, it's a breeze - especially since I make this in the oven rather than in a frying pan.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls - Kåldolmar
Serves 4, generously

1 medium head of cabbage
2 dl (about 3/4 cup) boiled rice
300 g ground meat, I use half pork and half beef
salt
white pepper
100 ml milk
butter
1-2 tbsp golden syrup

Cut around the stem of the cabbage, and boil the entire head in salted water. Loosen the leaves as they soften - one at a time, and be careful. Put on a plate to cool off, and cut off the toughest stem part, so that the leaves are easier to roll up.

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Mix the meat with the rice, season with salt and white pepper, and add the milk. You should end up with a fairly loose batter, but not too runny. (If it *is* too runny, try adding a spoonful of breadcrumbs.)

Fill the leaves with about 1 tbsp of filling, and roll up tightly to form a neat package. Place in an oven-proof dish, seam down. Scatter over a few pats of butter, drizzle with golden syrup, and bake for about 40 minuter.

When it's ready, remove dish from oven. Pour off any liquids into a small saucepan, add water, and bring to boil. Add a bit of liquid stock (or a cube) and soy sauce, and use cornstarch to thicken if it's too liquid.

Serve with boiled potatoes and lingonberries.

Recipe in Swedish:
Kåldolmar