Cabbage Rolls alla Grandma

One thing I always remembered about going up to the grandparents when I was a kid, was that you could always count on a plate of cabbage rolls to work its way into your stomach at some point. I don't know the origins of the recipe, but I'll bet it was passed down through the generations. It is simple, honest food. I had been talking about trying to recreate this dish for awhile now, and it was only after I raided the freezer that I found the leftover sausage stuffing from 'Italian Night' (see that post for details). Anyhow, All I needed for a head of cabbage to make this one work and I have to say, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia when I bit into it. Lots of good childhood memories of Grandma. I hope you like it.


1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, medium, sliced thinly
1 fennel bulb, cored removed, sliced thinly, fronds reserved
2 lb. pork shoulder, ground
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
2 tablespoons rosemary, fresh, chopped
6 garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup bread crumbs, fresh
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 head savoy cabbage
3 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoon pancetta or bacon lardons

In a large saute pan, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil over medium-high heat until smoking. Add the sliced onion and fennel and saute until softened and browning a little, about 10 minutes. Add the ground pork, fennel seeds, rosemary, garlic and 2 tablespoons of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pork is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a strainer to cool, allowing the fat to drip away.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Put the pork mixture (when cooled) into a bowl and add all but 1 tablespoon of the fennel fronds, the bread crumbs and eggs to the mixture and mix gently.

Put a few dabs of butter into a baking dish and spray it with cooking spray. Next, take the cabbage leaves off one by one. Put a little stuffing in each one and roll it up, turning the ends inward halfway through the roll to try to seal the ends up (admittedly, this didn't work very well for me but I tried). Repeat until you run out of either cabbage, stuffing, or room in the baking dish.

Once assembled, put some more butter dabs over the cabbage rolls and sprinkle the bacon (or lardons) pieces evenly over the top. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the cabbage has browned some and the butter is sizzling. Plate the cabbage rolls and drizzle with any buttery/bacony goodness left in the dish.