The stuffed cabbage roll has a long history of satisfying appetites and few cultures are without their own take on this culinary staple. Recipes using the modest vegetable are popular because they taste great, are inexpensive to prepare and offer so much diversity. Of course, anything goes when it comes to choosing a filling--from rice to raisins and from ground beef to chopped veggies--there's something in the world of cabbage roll fans for every taste. So if your quest for the perfect stuffed cabbage roll recipe is on your front burner, grab your biggest pot and start here.
Instructions
1. Visit cooking sites on the Internet to compare international and domestic recipes for cabbage rolls (See Resources). Try several keywords when you log on to search engines to get to the heart of the subject: "cabbage rolls," "make cabbage rolls," "stuff cabbage rolls" and any mix of words that are likely to yield another recipe.
2. Put your tax dollars to work by heading for the cookbook section of your local library. Luxuriate in the color photography and variety of recipes you'll find, particularly if you concentrate on finding vegetarian tomes. Thumb through each one's index under "cabbage," "stuffed cabbage" and "cabbage rolls" if you're looking to save time. Eat before you start looking at the pictures.
3. Ask the chef at your favorite ethnic restaurant to share the house secret for the perfect stuffed cabbage roll recipe. Expect one of these responses: "I'd be glad to," "Why not?" "I never give away my secret" and everything in between. Appeal to the cook's ego and you might be victorious.
4. Survey your friends. Send a single email to your entire address books asking for responses to your request. Don't be surprised if you turn up more recipes than you imagined your inner circle could provide. Use this recipe submission opportunity to hold a "roll off," asking buddies make their recipe and bring it to your home for an evening of sampling
5. Call your local culinary school (See Resources) and inquire into the recipes instructors employ to teach students the art of the cabbage roll. Don't settle for just one teacher. Talk with several--particularly those raised in other cultures--and you could walk away with ethnic recipes that escaped cookbooks and Internet sites because they never made it out of grandma's head.
6. Head for the mother lode of stuffed cabbage roll recipes: the kitchens of your moms, bubbes, aunties and second cousins--anyone with a long-standing reputation for churning out delicious comfort foods. Find the recipe you like best and then make it yours by putting your own twist on this international favorite.
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