Snap Food the food photography blog by eric isaac

Meatless Mondays: Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls

Yeah two days late, but you can still make it next monday. Its a vegetarian cabbage roll dish that I put together using barley, zucchini, spring onions and tomatoes. Recipe after the pictures.

From a food styling perspective, its best not to make things too saucy. From an eating perspective, especially my girlfriends, the saucier the better. This next photo is for those who like it saucy.

Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls (adapted from The Vegetarian Bible)
1 head of Green Cabbage - 12 leaves, hard stems removed
7 cups of water
1 cup of barley
4 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
6 cups of chopped tomatoes, (canned or fresh will work)
4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
2 tablespoons Safflower or sunflower oil
3 small to medium zucchini, diced
6 spring onions, sliced
salt & pepper to taste

Boil a large pot of water for blanching. Blanch the cabbage leaves for 2 minutes, remove from water and pat dry

In a medium pot filled with 7 cups of water, bring 2 tbsp parsley and the barley to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the barley is soft.

In a blender, puree the tomatoes, remainder of the parsley and garlic, and salt and pepper to taste until smooth

In a large saucepan, saute the zucchini for 4 minutes, then add spring onions and saute for a minute, season with salt and pepper. Add half of the tomato puree and cook for 10 minutes until sauce becomes thick. Add the barley and stir to combine. Let cool for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.

Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly brush safflower oil on a large casserole dish. Begin the wrapping process by laying a leaf flat on a table or cutting board, rib side down. Place about 1/4 cup of the mixture onto the bottom of the leaf, towards the stem end. Fold in the corners and roll tightly to the end (see photo above). Repeat for each leaf, placing each roll into the casserole dish. Cover with the remainder of the tomato mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 1/2 hour. Remove from oven, remove foil and let cool for a few minutes then serve with freshly grated salt and pepper. Enjoy