This is something I improvised based on the idea
that beef and stir-fried cabbage are tasty together.
Cabbage-wrapped
meatballs:
Roll some small meatballs, about an inch in diameter.
Season them as you like - pepper, garlic, whatever.
Put them in a frying pan and cook covered on low-medium
heat, turning them every so often so they cook evenly.
Cut or tear some cabbage leaves to make the "sheets"
you'll wrap the meatballs in. They can be any old shape
as long as they'll go around the meatball. Don't use
the white part, as that'll be too stiff to wrap with.
Put a meatball on a bit of cabbage, wrap the leaf around
to completely enclose it, and pin it closed with an
undecorated toothpick or cocktail stick. When they're
all wrapped put them back in the pan, put the lid back
on, and cook them over very low heat. The melted fat from
the meatballs and the low heat will keep the cabbage
from burning. Let these cook for about 15 minutes
so the cabbage can cook a little and absorb juice from
the meat. Eat right off the stick.
Cabbage-wrapped
beef strips:
This is just a variation of the above. Cut the beef
into very thin 2" long strips, so you can easily
bite through them. Season or marinate them as you like.
Don't cook them yet, though. Just put a teaspoon of
olive oil in a pan and spread it around so it coats
the bottom reasonably well. (This is not really to fry
with, it's just to keep the cabbage from burning before
the meat juices start to flow.)
Cut or tear some cabbage leaves to make the "sheets"
you'll wrap the strips in. About two to three inches
square is good, but there's no need to get fussy about
the shape. Don't use
the white part, as that'll be too stiff to wrap with.
Place a few strips in the middle of a piece of cabbage,
roll it up to make a little burrito shape, then skewer
it with an
undecorated toothpick or cocktail stick to hold it together. When they're
all wrapped put them in the pan, put the lid on, and cook them over very low heat. Let these cook for about 15 minutes,
turning once, so the cabbage can cook a little and absorb juice from
the meat. Eat right off the stick.
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