Turkish Tomato Sauce:
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves rough chopped
1 x 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar or alternative sweetener (maple, honey)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup broth or stock (chicken or veggie)
Lamb Filling:
1/2 cup Turkish tomato sauce
2 finely minced garlic cloves
1 lb ground lamb (uncooked) or sub beef or turkey
1 cup bulgar wheat, soaked (or add 1 cup cauliflower rice (raw), or 1 cup cooked rice, or other cooked grain)
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon dried mint (or sub dried oregano or thyme)
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon sumac (optional)
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (aleppo is nice)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup pinenuts (or slivered almonds)
1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped (or sub dried barberries, currants or raisins) ALL OPTIONAL
Garnish: fresh Italian parsly, dill or mint, a few toasted pinenuts, and serve with optional yogurt.
Soak Bulgar Wheat in bowl of cool water, 20 mins. Blanch Cabbage: Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cabbage and blanch until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Cool. Alternatively you can peel off the cabbage leaves and blanch the leaves in batches for 1-2 minutes. You can also microwave the whole cabbage, covered tightly , in a bowl with 1 cup water for 10 minutes. You can also freeze the whole cabbage, then thaw. Preheat oven to 350F. Make the Turkish Tomato Sauce: In a large saute pan, over med-high heat, saute the onion in 2 tablespoons oil until tender, 3-4 mins. Lower heat to medium, add garlic, saute 2-3 mintues until fragrant. Add crushed tomatoes (and all the juices) sugar, spices, salt and broth . Stir, bring to a simmer for 2 minutes, then turn heat off. Place 1/2 cup of this sauce in the bottom of a greased 9×13-inch baking dish (just enought to lightly coat the bottom.) Make the filling: In a medium bowl, place the lamb, drained bulgar wheat, garlic, Turkish tomato sauce, salt, spices, pine nuts, and dried apricots in a medium bowl and mix with a clean, damp hand, until well combined. Assemble the Cabbage Rolls: Place a blanched cabbage leaf on the counter. Cut 2 inches of the thick vein out of the bottom end. ( See photo). Fill with 1/3 cup lamb filling and roll up like a burrito, tucking edges in and place seam side down in the sauced, baking dish. Repeat with all. You should have 10-12. BAKE: Once the baking dish is filled with the rolls, pour the remaining Tomato sauce over top. Give the pan a good shake. Cover with parchment, then tightly with foil (or a lid). Bake for 1 1/4 hours. If baking in a saute pan, you could heat this up gently on the stove top (covered) before placing in the oven and then bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven, garnish with fresh parsley, mint or dill, and a few pine nuts. Serve with a thick creamy yogurt if you like.