Cabbage prawn dolmades

This recipe is inspired by the elegant cooking of Greek chef Lefteris Lazarou. Cabbage dolmades are one of my favourite recipes. They are usually made with a mixture of ground meat and rice. Here, prawn is the protein used in the filling, together with herbs, and the whole thing is drizzled with a delicious creamy yellow bechamel perfumed with Greek saffron.

Cabbage prawn dolmades.

• serves

  6

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  1:05 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 225 g (8 oz) small fresh prawns (shrimp) in the shell
• 1 cabbage head (about 900 g / 2 lb)
• ¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin Greek olive oil
• 1 large red onion, very finely chopped (minced)
• 1 large carrot, very finely grated
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• ½–⅔ cup medium-grain rice
• 2 cups vegetable stock or water
• 2½ cups canned plum tomatoes or 450 g (1 lb) fresh plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• Sea salt to taste
• ½ cup fresh mint, finely chopped
• Zest from 1 lemon

For topping the dolma

• 45 ml extra virgin Greek olive oil
• 2 cups vegetable stock or water
• Sea salt, to taste

Béchamel (optional)

• 3 tsp (15 ml) extra-virgin Greek olive oil
• 3 tsp (15 g) butter
• 1½ tbsp flour
• 1 cup full cream (whole) milk at room temperature
• 1 cup thick (heavy) cream at room temperature
• Sea salt and white pepper, to taste
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• pinch Krokos Kozanis Greek red saffron threads (or other saffron)
• Raw olive oil for garnish
• Lemon slices or mint leaves or both, for garnish

Instructions

1. Shell and clean the prawns, removing the threadlike intestine that runs down the centre with a small paring knife. Rinse the shrimp under cold water and set them aside.
2. Prepare the cabbage: Cut the base off the cabbage and remove as much of the tough bottom root end as possible. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and blanch the whole cabbage for about 8 to 10 minutes until the leaves soften without disintegrating. Remove and cool in ice water. Drain well.
3. In a large, nonstick skillet over medium flame, heat 1½ tablespoons of the olive oil and sauté the prawns until just pink. Remove and set aside.
4. Heat 1½ tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan over medium flame. Add the onion, carrot, and garlic and cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes until soft. Add the rice and stir a few times to coat in the oil and soften. Pour in 1 cup of stock, and stir until it’s absorbed. Add in the tomatoes and wine. Season with salt and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes, until the sauce is thick and reduced. Add the prawn juice from the cooked prawns and simmer for about 5 more minutes. Coarsely chop the prawns and add to the mix. Remove the frying pan from the heat and add fresh mint and lemon zest. Set aside.
5. Separate the cabbage leaves. Chop up about 2 cups of the torn or small leaves you can’t use to roll. Add them to the prawn mixture and stir.
6. Lay the cabbage leaves flat on a work surface, vein side up. Fill each leaf with about a tablespoon of the filling. Roll up from the bottom, turning in the sides to shape the leaves like cylinders. Don’t overstuff the leaves because the rice will expand, and they will tear.
7. Drizzle a little oil on the bottom of a large, wide pot. Layer some torn leaves and start adding the rolled leaves concentrically. Place the rolled leaves seam-side down, very snugly, next to one another. Top the stuffed cabbage leaves with the 45 ml of olive oil, season with a pinch of sea salt, and pour in the vegetable stock/ water to come about halfway up the leaves. Cover with a plate, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until the rice is tender. You can serve the stuffed cabbage leaves as they are, drizzled with raw extra-virgin olive oil, or you can serve them with a saffron béchamel.
8. To make the béchamel (optional): Heat the olive oil and butter. When the butter melts and bubbles up, add the flour and stir with a whisk or wooden spoon for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Pour in the milk and cream and whisk over medium-low heat until thick, about 7 to 10 minutes. Toward the end, season with salt and pepper to taste, and add turmeric and crumble in the saffron. Remove from heat.
9. Serve the dolmades topped with saffron béchamel and garnished with lemon slices and mint.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.