Danish Cabbage Rolls

Name: Danish Cabbage Rolls
Prep time: 65 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 140 min
Yield: 4 servings personer
Cuisine: danish
Ingredients: 700 g ground veal and pork; 75 g pudding rice; 1 onion, finely chopped; 1 egg; 1 dl milk; 2 tsp salt; 1 tsp pepper, freshly ground; 1 pcs white cabbage, about 1.5 kg; 30 g butter; 7 dl beef broth; salt, for the cooking water; 40 g butter; 40 g all-purpose flour; 1 tsp gravy browning; salt, to taste; pepper, to taste; 1 kg potatoes; salt, for the cooking water; 4 tbsp red currant jelly

A Danish stew: white cabbage leaves rolled around a filling of veal, pork, and rice, browned and simmered tender in broth, served with brown gravy and red currant jelly.

🍽️ 4 servings personer⏱️ 2 h 20 min (1 h 5 min active)danish

The rice needs time to cool completely while the cabbage leaves are made pliable and prepped; then the filling is bound, the rolls are browned, and they simmer until tender in broth. Meanwhile the potatoes are boiled, and the strained cooking liquid becomes brown gravy. A firm, cohesive filling is essential for the rolls to hold their shape.

Ingredients

The filling

700 g ground veal and pork
75 g pudding rice
1 onion, finely chopped
1 egg
1 dl milk
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper, freshly ground

The cabbage rolls

1 pcs white cabbage, about 1.5 kg
30 g butter
7 dl beef broth
salt, for the cooking water

Brown gravy

40 g butter
40 g all-purpose flour
1 tsp gravy browning
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

To serve

1 kg potatoes
salt, for the cooking water
4 tbsp red currant jelly

How to make it

Cook the pudding rice in lightly salted water for 12 minutes, until the grains are tender and the water has been absorbed. Drain in a sieve and spread the rice out on a plate so it cools completely — warm rice melts the fat in the filling, causing it to split. ⏱ 10 min · passive
Cut the core out of the head of white cabbage with a paring knife and lower the head into a large pot of boiling, lightly salted water. Loosen the leaves one at a time with tongs as they become pliable, and set them aside to drain. Allow about 15 minutes, until you have 12 whole leaves without tears. ⏱ 15 min
Chef's tip Removing the core first lets the boiling water reach the base of each leaf, where it clings tightest. Pull leaves the moment they slacken — over-boiled leaves turn translucent and tear at the fold.
Lay the leaves with the inside facing up and shave down the thick center rib with a horizontal cut so the leaf is the same thickness all the way across. The rib should fold without cracking, or the roll will split during browning.
Beat the ground veal and pork vigorously with the salt in a bowl for a couple of minutes before adding anything else — the salt draws out the meat's proteins, and it's these that bind the filling. Then stir in the finely chopped onion, the egg, the pepper, and the cooled rice. Add the milk a little at a time until the filling is soft and glossy but still holds its shape on the spoon.
Chef's tip Add the milk in small splashes and watch the sheen — a filling that slumps flat off the spoon has taken too much, and no amount of simmering will firm it up again.
Divide the filling into 12 equal portions and place one at the base of each cabbage leaf, fold the sides in over the filling, and roll the leaf up tightly into a small parcel. You should end up with 12 rolls of equal size. Place them seam-side down so they stay closed. ⏱ 10 min
Melt the butter for the rolls in a wide pot over medium heat and add the rolls, packed tightly together, seam-side down. Brown for 8 minutes, turning them gently as you go, until the cabbage is golden brown in spots and smells sweetly of caramelized butter.
Chef's tip Pat the leaves dry and brown in two batches if the pot is crowded. Wet cabbage and an overcrowded pot give you steam — you'll hear hissing instead of a quiet sizzle, and the rolls turn out grey rather than golden.
Pour in the beef broth so it comes halfway up the sides of the rolls, and put the lid on the pot. Let them simmer gently for 45 minutes, until the cabbage is completely tender and the filling is firm and cooked through with no pink in the center. ⏱ 45 min · passive
Chef's tip Keep it at a bare shiver, just a bubble or two breaking the surface. A true boil knocks the rolls against each other and works the leaves loose from the filling.
Peel the potatoes and halve the large ones so all the pieces are the same size and cook tender at the same rate.
Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water for 20 minutes, until a knife slides into the center without resistance. ⏱ 20 min · passive
Lift the rolls out of the pot with a slotted spoon and keep them warm under a sheet of foil. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve and measure out 5 dl for the gravy.
Chef's tip Let the cooking liquid settle for a couple of minutes after straining and skim the clear fat off the top. If it goes into the roux, the gravy turns greasy and sets into a skin as it cools on the plate.
Melt the butter for the gravy in a saucepan and stir in the flour until the roux bubbles and turns light brown with the aroma of toasted nuts. Add the strained cooking liquid a little at a time, whisking vigorously so no lumps form. Let the gravy cook through for 8 minutes, until it's glossy and runs slowly off the spoon. Darken it with gravy browning, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Plate three cabbage rolls per person on a flat plate with the boiled potatoes alongside. Spoon the brown gravy over the rolls. Set the red currant jelly on the table in a small bowl so everyone can help themselves to a dollop next to the rolls, adding a little sweet-tart bite to each mouthful.