One of the traditional dishes for Sukkot are one-dish meals such as stuffed vegetables. Whereas Ashkenazim might make kreplach or stuffed cabbage, Sephardi take advantage of the autumn harvest stuffing tomatoes, zucchini, grape leaves and more.
Here are a few of my favourites:
My stuffed cabbage balls
o 1 head cabbage
o 1 pound ground beef
o 1 egg
o ¼ cup raw rice
o 1 sliced onion
o ¼ t. minced garlic
o 1 ¾ cups crushed tomatoes
o 1 cup tomato sauce
o juice of 1 lemon
o 1/3 cup brown sugar
o 1 ½ cups water
Remove 8 outer leaves from cabbage. Place water in a soup pot and bring to a boil. Drop in leaves and cook 3 minutes. Drain.
In a mixing bowl, combine meat, rice, egg and garlic.
Spoon 2 tbsp. meat mixture on each leaf. Roll up, tucking in sides. (I secure them with toothpicks.)
Combine crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar and water. Place sliced onion in bottom of soup pot. Arrange cabbage balls around pot. Pour over sauce. Simmer 1 ½ to 2 hours. 4 servings
Microwave stuffed grape leaves
o 25 grape leaves, rinsed under cold water
o 2 tbsp. olive oil
o ¼ cup finely chopped onions
o 1 finely chopped garlic clove
o ½ cup rice
o 1 ½ tsp. dried mint
o 1 cup water
o 1 tsp. pareve chicken soup powder
o ½ cup lemon juice
o ½ tsp. sugar
o 1/8 tsp. cumin (optional)
o ¼ t. allspice
o ¼ cup olive oil
o ¼ cup lemon juice
Soak leaves in fresh water for 1 hour.
Place olive oil in glass dish. Microwave 2 minutes on high. Stir in onion and garlic. Microwave 2 minutes. Stir in rice. mint, 1 cup water, chicken soup powder, sugar, cumin and allspice. Cover with microwave plastic wrap or lid and microwave 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
Place one grape leaf, outside down on work surface. Place 1 tsp. rice mixture in centre of the leaf. Fold the sides to the centre and roll up.
READ: HONEY CAKE, A REDEMPTION PIECE
Place seam side down in a glass dish. Repeat until leaves and rice mixture are used. Pour 1 cup water and ½ cup lemon juice over grape leaves. Cover and cook in microwave 18 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool. Pour ¼ cup olive oil and ¼ cup lemon juice on top. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving.
My mom’s stuffed green peppers
o 8 large green peppers
o 1 lb. ground meat
o 1 egg
o ½ cup cooked rice
o salt and pepper to taste
o ¼ cup grated onion
o 1 sliced onion
o ½ cup tomato sauce
o ¼ cup water
Preheat oven to 350. Cut off stems and remove seeds from peppers.
Place water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Drop peppers in boiling water and cook for two minutes. Drain.
In a mixing bowl, combine ground beef, egg, rice, salt, pepper, and grated onion.
Spoon 1/8th into each pepper. Place sliced onion in a greased pan or casserole.
Arrange stuffed peppers in dish. Combine tomato sauce and water. Pour over peppers. Bake in preheated 350 oven 30-35 minutes.
You can also cut off “lids” before boiling then place them on the peppers before baking. 8 servings
