Savoy cabbage pralines

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 head of savoy cabbage
• 1 tbsp vegetable broth, instant
• 500 g minced beef
• 1 tbsp breadcrumbs from black or farmer’s bread
• 1 egg(s)
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tbsp mixed herbs, dried
• some water
• some lard
• salt and pepper
• 20 g butter
• 1 tbsp wheat flour type 550
• 50 g cream cheese spread
• ½ liter of water (savoy cabbage cooking water)
• 50 ml cream
• 1 pinch(s) of sugar
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 35 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 5 minutes

Cabbage rolls in a different guise

To make the savoy cabbage pralines, carefully remove the top 12 leaves from the savoy cabbage and blanch them in vegetable stock for about three minutes. Remove, drain, and allow to cool, then cut out the stalk. Retain the vegetable stock. Use the remaining savoy cabbage for something else. Knead the breadcrumbs with a little water, egg, salt, pepper, herbs, and minced meat by hand. Peel the onion and garlic. Finely dice both and fry in a little lard. Then stir them into the minced meat mixture. Brush a 12-hole muffin tin with lard and arrange the savoy cabbage leaves inside, enough to cover the minced meat, which has been formed into plum-sized balls. Cover the balls with the cabbage and turn them in the tins so that the underside is facing up. Roast in a preheated oven at 180°C with fan, covered with aluminum foil, for about one hour. Then remove the foil and bake for another half hour. For the cheese and herb sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and make a roux. Deglaze with half a liter of the savoy cabbage cooking water. Add the processed cheese and herbs and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until the herbs are “soft.” This is not necessary if using fresh herbs. Add the cream and season the sauce with salt, pepper, and a little sugar. Arrange the savoy cabbage pralines with the sauce on warmed plates and serve with mashed potatoes or something similar. Of course, fresh herbs are much better, but we have a problem with them in the winter.