When I asked my sister in Norway the other day if she had ever made kålruletter she responded “not since home economics in high school!”!
We had a good laugh. While this is a well known dish in Norway, it’s by many considered ‘old fashioned’ and what was typically served on dinner tables in the 1970s.
But I believe there is a new ‘revolution’ happening now with new cooks in Norway making this dish popular again and I thought why not bring it back to life now that we’re fast approaching St. Patrick’s Day!
The Irish share a love for both cabbage and potatoes with us Norwegians, plus the leaves of the cabbage are so vibrantly green when preparing this dish, and colors always make me happy. As the saying goes, we eat with our eyes as much as with our stomach.
There are of course many variations of cabbage rolls from around the world, as there are in Norway. The dish most likely stems from southern Europe where they used vine leaves.
I posted a plant-based version a couple of years ago where I used lentils and brown rice as the stuffing and it’s absolutely delicious.
This time, I wanted to try it with Beyond Meat ground ‘beef’, as I feel this version will also appeal to a larger group of meat lovers as the product is one of my (non-vegan) husband’s favorites. I switched up a few of the ingredients in the filling to mimic the traditional filling and I think it came out super tasty!
Ground meat technically can’t claim to be typical Norwegian food (often called ‘husmannskost’ in Norwegian), although many think of it as a traditional dish.
Meals with ground meat first started popping up around the 1950s and 1960s, with the exception of kjøttkaker in brown gravy, which became popular during the period from 1850-1950.
Interestingly enough, judging from historical sources, Norwegian food was close to lacto-vegetarian and the main, central ingredients were milk, cheese and grains. Meat was sparse, and ground meat was often regarded as food for special occasions only.
Back to the kålruletter: These make for a fantastic dinner that you can also make in advance. Make the filling, roll them up and place them in the baking dish in the morning or the evening before, and you can cook them off at night when you get home from work.
The most laborious task with this dish is perhaps the pulling apart, cleaning and blanching of the cabbage leaves, but it’s worth it when you bite into these morsels of goodness. This dish is also considered gluten free if you are looking for ideas for gluten free meals!
Feel free to use any type of vegetables or spices you like in the filling too. If you are not a fan of white /bechamel sauce, you can make a brown gravy too, which I often see. Mix it up and have fun with it!
NORVEGAN KÅLRULETTER
(Norwegian Cabbage Rolls)
Makes about 8-10 rolls
1 large head Savoy cabbage
Filling:
1-2 tablespoons vegan butter
1 small onion, diced small
1 large garlic clove, minced
8-10 oz (225-300 grams) wild mushrooms, sliced
1-2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely minced
½ cup (60 grams) walnuts, chopped
½ teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons caraway seeds (optional)
1 lb Beyond Meat ground vegan meat, or other brand, thawed
3 tablespoons Just Eggs (or sub 3 tablespoons non-dairy unflavored creamer)
2 tablespoons potato flour
3 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs (omit if making gluten free)
3 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
1 3/4 cups (4 dl) vegetable broth, heated
Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃).
Bring a large pot of water to a boil with a couple of big pinches of kosher salt.
While the water is heating, prepare a large bowl of ice water and set aside.
Line two sheet pans with paper towels and set aside.
Meanwhile, carefully peel the cabbage leaves off one by one from the cabbage head. With a sharp pairing knife, carefully trim off the thick stem outside of each leaf (which will make it easier to roll), being mindful not to rip a hole in the leaves.
Place the leaves in the boiling water for about 1 minute, then, using tongs or a slotted spoon, immediately transfer them into the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. The leaves should be brightly colored.
Transfer the leaves to the sheet pans lined with paper towels and lightly pat the leaves dry.
Make the filling:
Butter a 9X13 inch (23x33cm) baking dish and set aside.
In a large sauté pan, heat up the butter, and add the onions with a pinch of salt. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until the onions start to become translucent, then add in the garlic, mushrooms and rosemary and sauté for another couple of minutes, before adding the walnuts, nutmeg and optional caraway along with salt and pepper. Cook for a couple more minutes until mushrooms are nicely browned.
Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, then add the vegan ground meat, Just Eggs or creamer, potato flour, panko breadcrumbs and season with salt and pepper. I like to form a small test “ball” to sauté on a pan before I fill the cabbage rolls to make sure that the seasoning is correct.
Place a cabbage leaf on a cutting board, place a big spoonful of the filling inside and fold the edges of the leaves towards the middle, tucking the filling in and place seam side down in the buttered baking pan.
Repeat with the remaining cabbage leaves and place them tightly together in the baking dish so they keep their shape.
Pour in the heated vegetable broth, cover with tin foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then remove the tin foil and continue to bake for another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
Serve the cabbage rolls with boiled potatoes, white (bechamel) sauce and cranberry /lingonberry jam.
BECHAMEL (WHITE) SAUCE
3 tablespoons vegan butter
3 tablespoons flour (or use gluten free flour)
2 cups (5 dl) non-dairy milk, lightly warmed
salt & pepper to taste
pinch of nutmeg optional
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk until thickened and bubbling, but not browned (approximately 1-2 minutes).
Gradually pour the warm milk in the pan and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and achieved desired consistency, about 3 minutes.
Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and stir to combine.
HOMEMADE LINGONBERRY (OR CRANBERRY) JAM
1 x 10 oz (283 grams) bag frozen lingonberries or cranberries
1 cup (200 grams) light brown sugar
Zest and juice from 1 lemon
1 cinnamon stick
2-3 whole cloves
1 allspice berry
½ cup (125 dl) water
Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir and combine well, and continue to simmer for about 10-15 minutes until berries have broken down and mixture has thickened a little. Add more water as needed to achieve desired consistency. Cool down the sauce and remove the spices before storing in an airtight container in the fridge. Keeps for 2-3 weeks.
NORVEGAN KÅLRULETTER
Ingredients
- 1 large head Savoy cabbage
- Filling:
- 1-2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 small onion diced small
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 8-10 oz (225-300 grams) wild mushrooms, sliced
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh rosemary finely minced
- ½ cup (60 grams) walnuts, chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons caraway seeds optional
- 1 lb Beyond Meat ground vegan meat or other brand, thawed
- 3 tablespoons Just Eggs or sub 3 tablespoons non-dairy unflavored creamer
- 2 tablespoons potato flour
- 3 tablespoons panko breadcrumbs *omit if gluten free
- 2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 3/4 cups (4 dl) vegetable broth, heated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃).
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil with a couple of big pinches of kosher salt.
- While the water is heating, prepare a large bowl of ice water and set aside.
- Line two sheet pans with paper towels and set aside.
- Meanwhile, carefully peel the cabbage leaves off one by one from the cabbage head. With a sharp pairing knife, carefully trim off the thick stem outside of each leaf (which will make it easier to roll), being mindful not to rip a hole in the leaves.
- Place the leaves in the boiling water for about 1 minute, then, using tongs or a slotted spoon, immediately transfer them into the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. The leaves should be brightly colored.
- Transfer the leaves to the sheet pans lined with paper towels and lightly pat the leaves dry.
- Make the filling:
- Butter a 9X13 inch (23x33cm) baking dish and set aside.
- In a large sauté pan, heat up the butter, and add the onions with a pinch of salt. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until the onions start to become translucent, then add in the garlic, mushrooms and rosemary and sauté for another couple of minutes, before adding the walnuts, nutmeg and optional caraway along with salt and pepper. Cook for a couple more minutes until mushrooms are nicely browned.
- Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, then add the vegan ground meat, Just Eggs or creamer, potato flour, panko breadcrumbs and season with salt and pepper. I like to form a small test “ball” to sauté on a pan before I fill the cabbage rolls to make sure that the seasoning is correct.
- Place a cabbage leaf on a cutting board, place a big spoonful of the filling inside and fold the edges of the leaves towards the middle, tucking the filling in and place seam side down in the buttered baking pan. Repeat with the remaining cabbage leaves and place them tightly together in the baking dish so they keep their shape. Pour in the heated vegetable broth, cover with tin foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then remove the tin foil and continue to bake for another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
- Serve the cabbage rolls with boiled potatoes, white (bechamel) sauce and cranberry /lingonberry jam.
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