Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on September 17, 2013 by Chef David
Some would say that not many, if any foods, are associated with Succot, while so many other festivals have foods that are so obviously related to them (think Kneidelach – Matzoh Balls on Pessach, Tsimmes – Sweet Carrots on Rosh Hashanah…). Many do have the tradition (minhag) to eat stuffed cabbage on Succot, the reason most often given is that Succot is a harvest festival and the stuffed cabbage represents the bountiful harvest. Be that as it may, Succot is a time when we sit outside, in our Succah, and not in the comfort of our homes, and in Israel it can be quite cool at this time of the year. It thus seems to be appropriate that we have a comforting, warming and deliciously filling dish on Succot – and of course, stuffed cabbage fits the bill!
For those of you who, like me, can be a bit lazy, I am including a recipe for a really easy Stuffed Cabbage Casserole that offers all the deliciousness of stuffed cabbage without all the hard work.
I prepared a vegan version of this recipe for today’s Community Lunch (Yom Iyun for Succot – 17 September 2013), replacing the ground beef with a home-made substitute prepared from sauteed onions, cooked red beans and brown lentils. You can also use a soy mince (such as the one manufactured by Tivol) or sauteed onions and mushrooms.
I’d be happy to answer any questions that you might have…
With best wishes for a wonderful Yomtov – and a great Succot break!
DSB – David S. Berman, Pardes Catering Manager
chef@pardes.org.il
______________________________________
Stuffed Cabbage Casserole
Ingredients
500g ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
¾ cup rice
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 can tomato sauce
¼ cup vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
8 cups coarsely chopped cabbage
Method
Brown meat, onion and garlic. Drain well, add rice, salt and pepper.
In small bowl mix together tomato sauce, vinegar, brown sugar and mustard.
Layer 1/3 of cabbage in a deep casserole dish. Arrange ½ of beef mixture on top, cover with another 1/3 of cabbage. Top with remaining beef mixture and remaining cabbage. Pour tomato sauce mixture over the top, do not stir. Casserole will be quite full. Let it stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
Bake in 180°C oven for 2 hours without stirring. If towards the end of the cooking time, the casserole looks dry, you can add a small amount water to the dish.
Bon Appetit! Bete’avon!
