Fare exchange: Sauerkraut adds finishing touch to cabbage rolls

Katie Dixon begins our requests this morning, stating that she’s always looking for recipes for the microwave, particularly better ways to cook meat in the microwave. Additionally, “Mama at the Ready” needs a lot of help fixing family meals; she’s a working mother with hungry kids coming home from school and would like to fix healthful meals that don’t take much prep time or cleanup.

A reader called to ask us to remind people that when using edible flowers, make sure not to use ones that have been sprayed with any kind of chemicals. And so we have done.

Terry Keister supplied a tried-and-true recipe for cabbage rolls, her husband’s specialty. There is an interesting finishing touch of sauerkraut, which, as someone reminded me this week, is a very nutritious addition to any meal. Our favorite is the refrigerated kind that comes in a bag. Do any of you make your own? If so, tell us how.

Peter’s Cabbage Rolls

1 pound ground beef

11⁄4 teaspoons salt

1⁄8 teaspoon pepper

1 egg, beaten

1⁄3 cup uncooked rice

6 large cabbage leaves

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup thin-sliced onion

1 can tomato soup

1 tomato soup can of water

1⁄2 cup chopped celery

1 teaspoon minced parsley

1 teaspoon sugar

1⁄8 teaspoon pepper

Sauerkraut, drained

Mix together, lightly and thoroughly, the ground beef, salt, pepper and egg. Mix in the rice. Set aside. Cook the cabbage leaves in boiling salted water until just tender. Drain.

For the sauce, melt butter in a skillet. Add the onion and cook until tender. Blend in a mixture of the tomato soup and water. Add celery, minced parsley, sugar and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes.

To stuff cabbage leaves, place about 1⁄4 cup of the meat mixture on the center of each leaf. Roll up each leaf, tucking the ends in toward the center. Use wooden picks to fasten the leaves securely. Place the rolls in a large, heavy pot. Put a layer of sauerkraut on top of each layer of rolls. Pour sauce over the rolls, cover pan tightly and cook slowly for 2 hours. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings (one roll per person).

Sue Lowery saw the request for low-carb recipes. “We’ve been eating low-carb since 2003, and this is one of my favorite recipes as a substitute for rice,” she wrote. “We use it under all kinds of Thai food and as a side dish by itself.”

Low-Carb Rice and Cauliflower

1⁄2 cup wild rice (uncooked)

1 head cauliflower

3 tablespoons butter (or olive oil)

1⁄2 cup pecan pieces

1 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s seasoning, or to taste

Cook wild rice in the microwave with covered lid for 15 to 20 minutes or until done. Grate head of cauliflower coarsely into a large bowl. Melt butter or heat olive oil in a large skillet. Toast pecans until slightly browned. Add cauliflower to butter and cook about 5 minutes. Cauliflower should be just barely done. Add Tony Chachere’s seasoning or salt and pepper, rice and pecans. Serve warm.

Finally, Gwendolyn Meraz has a special way to celebrate the memory of her mother, who wanted chicken and dumplings for her birthday dinner. “Although my mother typically liked the flat dumplings, I chose to try the fluffy ones instead, and they worked very well,” she wrote. “The 1⁄2 cup of cornmeal added flavor to the recipe.”

Chicken and Dumplings

For the chicken:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 (3-pound) chicken, cut into pieces

1⁄4 cup flour, seasoned with salt and pepper to taste

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into large chunks

2 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks

2 stalks celery, cut into large chunks

1 bay leaf

Kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

4 cups chicken broth

For the dumplings:

11⁄2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1⁄2 cup coarsely ground cornmeal

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

13⁄4 cups heavy cream or half-and-half

Fresh parsley for garnish, if desired

In a wide, heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid, heat the olive oil. Dredge the chicken pieces in the seasoned flour, then brown them in the oil over medium heat, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside.

Add the onion to the pot and cook for 2 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, bay leaf, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the broth. Return the chicken to the pot, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until done.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the first 5 dumpling ingredients. Add the cream, and mix until just combined.

Drop about 12 heaping tablespoons of the dumpling mixture into the pot. Cover and simmer for 12 minutes more without opening the lid. To serve, scoop dumplings and chicken into soup bowls, then cover with broth. Garnish with the parsley if desired.

Variations: For quicker dumplings, mix 1 egg with 1⁄2 cup milk, then add the mixture to 11⁄2 cups Bisquick, and stir to combine.

This has been an interesting column — all entrees, no sweets. Next week, how about a favorite bread, salad, dessert or vegetable? Until then ...