Recipes, Mutton Recipes

Mutton stuffed cabbage w/ onion gravy & crushed swede

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This gloriously flavoursome mutton mince from Swaledale Butchers takes on an intriguing guise as the filling for a cabbage leaf, and is totally delicious. These parcels nestled in a swamp of sweet soft onions and stock make for a rich and comforting supper.

I believe that this type of dish might have spent a few years in the wilderness in this country — I presume that the French have been cooking chou farcie with fair regularity. Equally in Poland, it is never far away from a dinner table, but while we were all waiting to see what Jamie Oliver was going to cook next, we forgot about the humble stuffed cabbage.

Thankfully, it only takes a brief scroll through Instagram, and the pages of some of our favourite restaurants, to see that they (the stuffed cabbages) are making a triumphant return. Terrific news, I would say. As this recipe below would testify, they are a truly delicious thing to eat.

Serves 5-6

Ingredients

Filling

Gravy

Swede

Method

To stuff the cabbage leaves:

  1. You first need to make the stuffing. So, take a pan and add the duck fat, shallots and the thyme. Season with salt and cook on a low heat until the shallots are well softened but haven’t coloured too much.
  2. Add the whiskey and allow to simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
  3. Tip the mutton mince into a mixing bowl and add the cooked shallots, the oats, the ground cloves, a gentle grate of nutmeg, and a few twists of black pepper. Season with salt and give a good mix with your hands to combine well.
  4. Check the seasoning by taking a little of the mix and frying in a pan. Adjust the seasoning as necessary.

In the meantime, begin the gravy:

  1. In a large pan, add the duck fat, onions, bay leaves and a pinch of salt. Cook over a medium heat with a lid on, stirring regularly, for about 25 minutes. The onions should be soft and sweet but still pale in colour.
  2. Heat up the chicken stock in a separate pan.
  3. Add the flour to the onions and stir. Let the flour cook with the onions for a couple of minutes, stirring regularly.
  4. Then add a ladle of the hot stock and continue to stir — it should thicken quite quickly.
  5. Then add the remaining stock, stir and bring up to a simmer. Cook like this for 20 minutes.
  6. Check seasoning and adjust as necessary.

Returning to the cabbage:

  1. Peel the leaves off the cabbage, being careful not to break them, its much easier if they are whole. You will need about 10 nice, undamaged leaves.
  2. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Have a bowl with iced water to hand.
  3. Blanch the leaves of the cabbage, in batches, for 2 minutes and then plunge into the icy water. This will help to prevent them from overcooking and going mushy — which would not be desirable for stuffing.
  4. Once all the leaves are blanched, drain them well, ready to begin stuffing.
  5. Lay a leaf out flat on a clean surface. If the bottom of the stalk is particularly tough or thick, then take a sharp knife and cut it out, cutting as close to the stalk as possible and not cutting all the way to the top.
  6. Use a rolling pin to flatten the leaf and then take a golf ball sized piece of the mutton mince and roll it into a cylinder. Place it onto the cabbage leaf, close to the bottom. Roll upwards, tucking in the sides before you get to the very top and fasten the parcel with a toothpick. You should have a sealed, cylindrical parcel.
  7. Repeat this process until the mutton mince has all been used.
  8. Preheat the oven to 170°C.
  9. Tip the onion gravy into an ovenproof dish and then nestle in the cabbage leaves. Leaving a little space in between each one. Place the dish in the oven and cook for 18-20 minutes.

To cook the swede:

  1. Add the diced swede, butter, stock, several twists of black pepper and a good pinch of salt to a pot and set it over a medium heat.
  2. Bring the liquid to a simmer and then cover with a lid. Cook like this for 30 minutes, returning to the pot to stir fairly regularly. Add a little more liquid to the pot if it is looking at all dry.
  3. After 30 minutes the swede should be cooked, at which point, give it a gentle crush with anything you can lay your hands on – the back of a fork, a masher, the end of a rolling pin or even a wooden spoon.
  4. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary, it usually likes quite a bit of black pepper.
  5. Serve the cabbage rolls on top of the swede and spoon over a good amount of the onion gravy —don’t forget to remove the toothpicks.

Shop the ingredients

For 15 years George worked in some of London’s most loved restaurants, including Padella and Primeur, and had a 5-year stint as Head Chef at the Garden Museum Café. George earned rave reviews for his simple, thoughtful cookery, his dishes were firmly rooted in the classics, and always paid homage to the produce. In 2021 George realised a long-held ambition and released his first cookbook entitled, A Year In The Kitchen. It celebrates the annual cookery cycle, taking readers on a journey through the British seasons, showcasing native produce, and inspiring year round creativity. In 2022 George left London behind, and moved back home to Yorkshire. His passion for seasonal cookery and reverence of quality British ingredients proved that for George, home is where the heart is. Like his food, George is led by the seasons, he’s open to new opportunities, and always following his heart.