Toasted Rye Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients

ROLLS:

Extra-virgin olive oil

⅓ cup (115 g) uncooked rye berries

1 quart (1 liter) water

Kosher salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups (300 g) finely chopped onion

5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon caraway seeds

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon sweet or hot paprika

½ pound (225 g) ground beef, preferably grass-fed

½ pound (225 g) ground pork

1 cup (125 g) chopped drained sauerkraut

1 cup (50 g) panko breadcrumbs

¼ teaspoon dried chile flakes

Freshly ground black pepper

2 large eggs, beaten

SAUCE:

One 28-ounce (794 g) can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained

1 cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon koshersalt

FOR ASSEMBLY:

1 small head savoy or green cabbage

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

MAKE THE ROLLS: Heat a glug of olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the rye berries and cook until the rye is dark and smells toasty, about 5 minutes. Add the water and 1½ teaspoons salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the rye berries are very tender, 60 to 75 minutes. Drain thoroughly and cool completely. You can cook the rye berries up to 3 days ahead.

Meanwhile, heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent, stirring occasionally so it cooks evenly and doesn't brown. Add the garlic, caraway, fennel, and paprika and cook for another couple of minutes to soften the garlic. Cool completely.

Put the beef and pork in a large bowl and break up the meat into smaller pieces so it will be easier to incorporate the other ingredients. Add the cooled rye berries, cooled onion mixture, sauerkraut, panko, 1 tablespoon salt, the chile flakes, and many twists of black pepper. Work the ingredients together gently with clean hands until well blended Pour on the eggs and, with your hands or a wooden spoon, incorporate them.

To check the seasoning, fry a small nugget of the filling and taste, adjusting with more salt, black pepper, or chile flakes as needed.

MAKE THE SAUCE: Put the tomatoes with their juices, olive oil, and salt in a blender and process until smooth. You can make the sauce up to 2 days ahead

ASSEMBLE AND BAKE THE ROLLS: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut the core from the cabbage and peel off any damaged outer leaves. Gently separate the cabbage leaves, taking care not to rip them, but if a few do rip, no worries. "Shave" off any thick ribs so that the leaves are close to a uniform thickness. You probably won't use any very tiny leaves, but you will use smallish ones, piecing two together.

Blanch a few cabbage leaves at a time until just pliable, then drain on clean kitchen towels or paper towels.

Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

Lay out a large leaf or piece two smaller ones together. Put a generous ¼ cup (60 g) filling in the center, fold the bottom of the leaf up over the filling, fold the sides in, and roll to make a compact cylinder. You should be able to make 16 rolls, but depending on your cabbage and how much filling you use, you could make more or fewer. Aim for rolls of similar size, but don't stress if they aren't identical.

Lay the cabbage rolls seam side down in the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) baking dish, or the equivalent. Pour the sauce on top and dot the surface with the butter. Bake until the filling is thoroughly cooked and the sauce has thickened and the whole dish is browning and bubbling around the edges, about 45 minutes.

Let the cabbage rolls cool for about 10 minutes, then serve hot, with the cooking juices spooned over.

Notes

A comfort food favorite, for sure, and while these meat-and- grain-filled rolls do take some time to prepare, the process is fun and you can do some of the steps ahead. I get satisfaction with every little bundle of savory goodness that I roll up. Typical cabbage roll recipes use white rice in the filling, but here I bring a lot more personality-and nutrition-with toasted rye berries and chopped sauerkraut. -Serves 4 or 5