Ingredients:
1 very large head of cabbage
1 1/2 cups vegetable, chicken or beef stock
1 1/2 tablespoons grainy deli-style mustard

for the filling:
1 cup vegetable, chicken or beef stock
1/2 cup kasha (buckwheat groats)
1 large onion, chopped
1 egg, beaten
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup milk
2 cups diced cooked corned beef*
1 1/2 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds

Directions:

for the filling:
Bring the stock, salt and pepper to a boil. Mix the kasha and the egg together in a small bowl. Add to the stock mixture, cover and cook until the liquid is fully absorbed, about 10 minutes. Stir. Set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the potato and onion. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain. Add butter, milk, pepper and mash until fairly smooth. Stir in the corned beef, mustard seed and kasha. Set aside.

assembly:
Core the cabbage by placing the head of cabbage stem side up on a table, inserting a knife 4 or 5 times around the stem angling in towards the stem, and then slamming the cabbage stem side down on a table to loosen the core. Pull to remove. Carefully remove the leaves of the cabbage by pulling on the thick ends and peeling down. Remove and set aside all leaves that look big enough to fold around 1/3-1/2 cup of filling. Steam the leaves to be stuffed for 7 minutes or until pliable.

Place a steamed cabbage leaf in the pan, scoop 1/3-1/2 cup of filling onto the middle. Fold one side over the stuffing, then the bottom up, and then the other side over sort of like you are folding a burrito. Fold the cabbage, rolling towards the fat part of the leaf until it forms a rectangular package. Place in a 9×13 pan folded side down. Fill the pan with stuffed cabbage in a single layer.

Whisk together the mustard and the stock together. Pour stock over the cabbage rolls. Bake 30 minutes or until cooked through.

*I cooked my corned beef in a slow cooker overnight; cover in water or stock and cook 8 hrs on low. I added some corned beef spices to the water mixture.

My thoughts:

It is that time of year again! I aim to make a new corned beef and cabbage dish each year but some times life gets in the way. I’ve been very busy developing recipes for my new cookbook and various clients and thought I’d run out of time before St Patrick’s Day but I pulled it off!

My favorite corned beef and cabbage recipes are the wackier fusion ones. I loved the corned beef and baby cabbage hash but my corned beef quesadillas and even more so, my corned beef and cabbage bao were my favorites. After all, corned beef and cabbage is an Irish-American thing, not really Irish-Irish. Why not put yet another twist on it? This time I decided to continue the Jewish/Eastern European fusion kick I’ve been on since Thanksgiving and make corned beef stuffed cabbage. Potatoes were an obvious addition,  I took a hint from the deli and added a bit of mustard, I added the kasha as a nod to the traditional rice found in stuffed cabbage. The result? A surprisingly light tasting, very savory dinner.

Still have some corned beef to use up? Check out my corned beef Pinterest board for ideas.