Julia Child Cabbage Stuffed With Leftover Turkey And Sausage

Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 2 1/2 lbs cabbage
• 6 ounces lean salt lamb, rind removed,cut into 12 slices about 1/4 inch thick
• 2 cups finely minced onions
• 1 thinly sliced carrot
• 1 thinly sliced onion
• 4 cups ground leftover cooked turkey
• 1 1/2 cups sausage meat
• 2 eggs
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 2 -3 cups beef stock, divided
• 2 cups crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Recipe

• 1 special equipment: oven-safe large 2 1/2 or 3 quart round-bottomed bowl.
• 2 two days prior to making the dish: remove the core from the cabbage, wrap the head tightly in plastic, and place it in the freezer; the day you're going to make the dish thaw the frozen head in hot water and the leaves will easily peel off.
• 3 preheat oven to 400 degrees f.
• 4 in a pot, boil some water; blanch the slices of salt lamb by immersing them in the boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes, then rinse them in cold water to halt the cooking and pat them dry.
• 5 in a skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the minced onions until tender, about 7 minutes.
• 6 take 3/4 of the cooked onions and set aside for stuffing; take the remaining cooked onions and set them aside for the sauce.
• 7 using 1 tablespoon of olive oil, in a small pan over medium heat lightly brown the carrot and thinly sliced onion, about 5 minutes.
• 8 in a mixing bowl, combine the ground cooked turkey, sausage, eggs, cloves, salt, pepper, thyme, allspice, and the cooked onions reserved for the stuffing, and mix well; add 5 tablespoons (or more, to moisten enough so that the stuffing will adhere to cabbage leaves- see steps below) of the stock and mix.
• 9 take the large oven-safe round-bottomed bowl and line the bottom of it with half of the blanched salt lamb strips, then lay half of the sliced carrots and onions on top.
• 10 take the peeled cabbage leaves and select the largest and best to line the bottom (covering the lamb, carrots, and onion) and sides of the bowl- place the leaves with the ends down and the stem-side up.
• 11 spread a layer of the stuffing mixture, about 1/2-inch thick, on the bottom and sides of the bowl (which are now covered with the cabbage leaves), then press some smaller cabbage leaves on top of the stuffing.
• 12 repeat the process until the bowl is filled to within 1/2-inch of the top, occasionally slipping a large green leaf down the sides of the bowl, if necessary, to be sure that no gaps appear between the leaves.
• 13 cover with a final layer of cabbage leaves and the remaining lamb and carrot/onion mixture, then pour in enough beef stock to come within 1 inch of the bowl rim.
• 14 place the bowl on a pan (to catch drippings) and place in the lower-middle section of the preheated oven; cook for 30 minutes- the cabbage should simmer.
• 15 reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees f and continue to bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours; it is done when you place a thermometer into the thickest part of the bowl and the temperature reads 165 degrees f.
• 16 check it occasionally as it bakes- you want to keep the cabbage at a slow simmer, and you might need to add additional stock if too much evaporates.
• 17 when the cabbage is almost done and there's only about 15 minutes left for it to bake, prepare the sauce: over medium heat in a saucepan, stir together the tomato and the remaining cooked minced onion, and simmer for 10 minutes.
• 18 remove the cabbage from the oven, remove the lamb, carrot, and onion from the top layer, and drain off 1 cup of the liquid from the bowl; add the liquid to the tomato mixture and simmer an additional 5 minutes.
• 19 place a warm serving dish upside-down over the bowl and, while holding the dish in place, carefully un-mold the cabbage by turning bowl and dish over.
• 20 remove the lamb, carrot, and onion mixture from where it was on the bottom of the bowl (which is now the top of the mold).
• 21 in a saute pan, brown the lamb strips.
• 22 to serve, pour the tomato sauce around the base of the molded cabbage and garnish with the browned lamb strips.