BRAISED CABBAGE STUFFED WITH SAUSAGE & FENNEL

Braised Cabbage Stuffed with Sausage & Fennel image

Categories Bread Sauce Side Sausage Cabbage Simmer Boil

Yield serves: 4 to 6

Number Of Ingredients 28

Ingredients

for the sauce
1 onion, cut into large chunks
2 celery ribs, cut into large chunks
1/2 fennel bulb, tough core removed, cut into large chunks
3 cloves garlic, smashed
Extra virgin olive oil
1/4 pound pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 teaspoons fennel seeds, toasted and ground (see page 17)
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1 cup dry white wine
1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, passed through a food mill
2 cups chicken stock (see page 85)
2 bay leaves
Kosher salt
for the cabbage and stuffing
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Kosher salt
1 large head savoy cabbage, leaves separated and tough bottom ribs removed
Extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 fennel bulb, tough core removed, cut into 1/4-inch dice
Pinch of crushed red pepper
3 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
1 pound fennel sausage, casings removed
1/2 to 3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano
3 chicken livers, finely chopped (optional but highly recommended!)
1 large egg

Steps:

FOR THE SAUCE
In a food processor, purée the onion, celery, fennel, and garlic to a coarse paste.
Coat a large wide pan with olive oil and add the pancetta; bring to medium heat and cook until brown and crispy, 4 to 6 minutes.
Add the puréed veggies, ground fennel seeds, and red pepper and cook until the vegetables become soft and aromatic and start to brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the wine, bring to a boil (BTB), and reduce by half, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, and bay leaves and season with salt. Bring to a boil (BTB) and reduce to a simmer (RTS); cook for 15 minutes. Taste to make sure it's delicious; adjust the seasoning as needed.
FOR THE CABBAGE AND STUFFING
Add the vinegar to large pot of well-salted water, bring it to a boil (BTB), and set up a large bowl of well-salted ice water. Add the cabbage to the boiling water and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until just tender; immediately plunge it into the salty ice water. When the leaves are cool, remove them from the water and pat dry. Reserve.
Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil. Add the onion, fennel, and red pepper and season with salt. Bring the pan to medium heat and cook the vegetables until soft and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool.
In a large bowl, combine the sausage, bread crumbs, Parm, chicken livers (if using), and egg. Season with salt, add 1/2 cup water, and mix well to combine; if the mixture seems too dry, add up to another 1/2 cup water-it should be kind of wet. Stir in the onion-fennel mixture.
Make a 1- to 2-inch tester patty. In a small sauté pan, heat a bit of oil and cook the patty. When it's cool enough, taste it to make sure it's delicious-if it's not, reseason.
Lay each cabbage leaf on a flat work surface. Spoon about 1/4 cup of filling into each leaf. Fold the outside edges in and roll the leaf around the stuffing. Place each roll on the work surface with the seam side down so the roll will hold itself shut. Look at us, always thinking!
Add the cabbage rolls to the sauce, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, then uncover and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve the cabbage rolls with the sauce spooned over them.