Cabbage Rolls (Lachanontolmades)
Ingredients:
1 cabbage, large
200g glutinous ( / sticky) rice
1 onion, finely-chopped
2 spring ( / green) onions, finely-chopped
½ bunch dill, finely-chopped
½ bunch parsley, finely-chopped
Salt
Pepper
200ml olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
2 eggs
½ glass Samos white wine
200ml vegetable broth
Instructions:
Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the whole cabbage (its hard part facing down) and allow to boil, so that the leaves soften. Take the cabbage out of the pot, and carefully remove the leaves, one by one.
Prepare the filling: Put some olive oil in a pot and allow to heat up. Add the onions, rice and aromatic herbs, and quench with wine. Finally, add the salt, pepper and vegetable broth (or water), and allow the rice to soften a bit.
The wrapping process: Line the bottom of a pot with a few of the cabbage leaves. Take the remaining leaves, one at a time (if they are large, cut them in half), and place a tablespoonful of stuffing on each leaf, and then wrap the rolls very tightly. Follow the same procedure to prepare all of the remaining leaves. Place the finished rolls in the pot – tightly packed together – and form layers all the way up to the top of the pot. Top with a glass dish to add weight, so that the rolls do not open during the cooking process. Finally, add the vegetable broth and a little salt.
Let the cabbage rolls simmer for about 45 minutes on low heat. When they are ready, remove the plate and drain the liquids. Prepare an “avgolemono” (egg-and-lemon) sauce, and pour it over the cabbage rolls.