“Non-Stuffed” Cabbage with Rice – a “one-pot dish”

I got this recipe several years ago from my friend Miriam, who so kindly shared this with me. I made it for the family, and they all loved it.

This is very easy – you can use whatever amounts you want. It can be “cabbage with rice” or “rice with cabbage”, depending on how much cabbage or how much rice you put in.

It is very lemony and has the same taste as “non-meat” stuffed cabbage as is made in the Middle East, but without all the work of rolling the cabbage into stuffed “rolls”. It’s all in one pot.

Although the original recipe as I got it, was for the rice and the cabbage to be cooked together, I do it separately; I cook the rice in a separate small pot, and add it to the cooked cabbage. That way, I know that all the rice has been cooked evenly.

Ingredients:

• cabbage (half a big cabbage, or a whole cabbage, depending on how much you want), cut into chunks – any size you want.
• a little bit of canola oil (say, 2 Tablespoons)
• lots of chopped celery leaves and sliced celery stalks,
• 2 green onions sliced
• 1-2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 ripe tomatoes chopped into little cubes
• LOTS of lemon juice
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• cooked white rice to be added at the end (any amount that you want).
• about a cup of water to be added at first, and more when needed while cooking.

Preparation:

1. In a pot put some canola oil (about 2 Tablespoons or so), cut-up cabbage, chopped and sliced celery leaves and stalks, chopped green onion, chopped garlic, chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Cook for a few minutes, and then add about a cup or more (depending on amount of veggies) of water.
2. Start cooking over a slow flame, for about an hour +. Check every so often to make sure that it is still moist and not burning on the bottom. Mix every so often. Keep adding water as needed. The cabbage, celery, etc. should ultimately get very soft . The water should be absorbed, and although it should be moist, and there should be extra water in the pot while cooking, at the end the cabbage should be soft, and the water should be mostly absorbed.
3. Taste and adjust seasonings – you may need more salt, pepper, and/or lemon juice. The result should be very lemony.
4. Add as much cooked white rice as you want, and mix it in.
5. Bon Appetit