Best Crockpot Lebanese Mishi Malfoofmalfouf Stuffed Cabbage Recipes

GRANDMA'S HUNGARIAN STUFFED CABBAGE, SLOW COOKER VARIATION

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook cabbage in boiling water until outer leaves pull away easily from the head, 3 to 5 minutes. Separate leaves and let cool. Reserve 1 1/2 cup cooking water.
• Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in wet rice; cook and stir until moisture evaporates, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool, about 5 minutes.
• Mix beef, sausage, and egg together in a large bowl. Stir in cooled rice mixture.
• Place a golfball-sized amount of the beef mixture on the ribbed end of a cabbage leaf; roll up, tucking in the sides. Repeat with remaining beef mixture and cabbage leaves.
• Place rolls seam-side down in a slow cooker. Cover with tomato juice. Pour reserved cooking water on top.
• Cook on High for 30 minutes. Switch to Low and cook for 6 1/2 hours.

CROCKPOT LEBANESE MISHI MALFOOF/MALFOUF (STUFFED CABBAGE)

Steps:

• Prepare Cabbage: Wash and dry the cabbage, then wrap it tightly with Saran wrap. Place wrapped cabbage in tied grocery or ziploc bag and then freeze for 3 days.
• Remove cabbage from freezer the 1-2 days prior to using. The cabbage will still appear "frozen" after 1 day, so you can run under water to de-ice and loosen and separate the leaves for stuffing.
• Remove large vein from leaves (V-notch) and cut them in half to ready for stuffing.
• Take 5-6 of the smallest, inner-core leaves and flatten out and place them on the bottom of the crockpot as a barrier for the bottom layer of rolled leaves, covering the entire bottom.
• Prepare "Sauce": Saute garlic in olive oil until lightly brown and soft over medium heat.
• Add water and lemon juice and 1/2 tsp salt and stir for 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat and leave in pan.
• Prepare stuffing (mishi): Rince rice in fine colander and place in large bowl.
• Add 2 tsp salt and all of the allspice to rice and mix well. If using, add chopped onion and mix well.
• Add meat to rice mixture and mix with hands until rice and seasonings are thoroughly incorporated.
• Stuff the cabbage: take roughly 1/4 cup of meat/rice mixture and place on stem side of cabbage leaves and roll semi-loosely to allow room for rice to expand during cooking. Meat should not leak out the sides and should be fairly contained by the rolled cabbage.
• Neatly organize each roll into the crockpot, leaving no room in a layer, but not packing so tightly that there is no room for rice expansion. After the first layer is done, pour about ½ the sauce over that layer. Sprinkle with 1T of dried mint.
• Add the second layer of cabbage and pour the rest of the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with remaining mint.
• Cook on low: Make sure water "barely covers" the top of the cabbage - add more water, if needed, to cover. Place a small, round, flat microwave and heat-safe plate on top to keep the cabbage in place and to help them stay rolled.
• Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

GOLABKI (STUFFED CABBAGE)

Steps:

• For the sauce: Heat up tomatoes in a saucepan over medium-low heat until they begin to boil, then remove them from the heat. With an immersion blender, blend in cubed butter one piece at a time until the sauce is smooth and emulsified. Season with salt and a dash of cayenne if you like it a little spicy, but not enough to scare your Mom-Mom.
• For the cabbage: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Slice off the bottom of the cabbage head and insert the knife around the core to make a square of insertions into the core of the cabbage. (Do not completely core the cabbage.)
• When the pot is boiling gently, drop the cabbage head in and boil it until outer leaves are softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the cabbage head and wait a minute for it to cool, then begin to gently peel the outer leaves away. When the leaves are no longer soft and they become hard to peel, place the cabbage head back into the boiling water for another 4 to 5 minutes. Repeat removing the leaves and then boiling the cabbage until you get down to the core or the leaves become too small. (It's a good idea to boil extra cabbage leaves so you have the extras just in case the leaves rip.)
• Saute onions with a dash of canola oil in a saute pan over medium-low heat until onions are translucent. Combine sauteed onions with cooked white rice and allow to cool.
• Combine ground beef, pork, veal, eggs, onion and rice mixture and salt and pepper in a large stainless steel bowl. Mix until well combined, then set aside. (We'll call this the filling from here out.)
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Place 1/4 cup filling into the bottom of a cabbage leaf. Tuck the sides of the leaf in and roll the leaf up and over and make a small package. Place the finished roll seam-side down in a 12-by-10-inch baking pan that's at least 2 1/2 inches deep. Continue with the remaining leaves and filling and tuck them tightly into the baking pan. Pour 1 inch vegetable stock into the bottom of the baking pan. Cover the cabbage rolls with a sheet of parchment paper, then cover in foil. Bake for 25 minutes.
• Remove cabbage rolls from the oven and turn it down to 325 degrees F. Take off (but reserve) foil and parchment paper. Pour off the vegetable stock (no need to save it; it'll taste like cabbage water...yum). Top the drained cabbage leaves with just enough tomato sauce to coat the top of the cabbage and make a small pool under the rolls. Replace the parchment paper and foil and bake the cabbage rolls 45 minutes more.
• Serve the finished golabki by topping them with a ladle of the reserved sauce, a little fresh dill, and a dollop of sour cream.