Cabbage Wrapped Meatballs in a Creamy Onion Sauce
Here’s our delicious version of a well-loved South African dish that is also known as ‘Ouma Onder die Komberse’ (Granny Under the Blankets). Tasty meatballs are wrapped in softened cabbage leaves, then baked in a creamy onion, wine and parsley sauce. Serve with mash and peas, or with one of our Future 50 ingredients such as millet, quinoa or wild rice.
Feeds
6People
Difficulty
easy
Ingredients
- ungrouped
- 1 large white cabbage
- 3 slices brown bread, crusts on
- 160 ml milk
- 700 g beef mince
- 1 large onion, peeled and coarsely grated
- 10 ml Robertsons mixed herbs
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 extra large egg, lightly beaten
- 5 ml salt
- 2.5 ml freshly ground black pepper
- 45 ml vegetable oil
- 500 ml water
- 80 ml white wine vinegar
- 1 Knorr thick white onion Soup, plus water for mixing
- 250 ml cream
- 60 ml finely chopped fresh parsley
- 7.5 ml fresh lemon juice
Preparation method
- ungrouped
- Heat the oven to 180 °C.
- Cut 2 cm off the stalk end of the cabbage and peel off 12 whole outer leaves.
- Cook the leaves in boiling, salted water for about 10 minutes, or until soft and pliable. Rinse in cold water, drain and pat dry on kitchen paper. Set aside.
- Tear the bread into small pieces and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the milk, stir, and set aside to soak for 5 minutes.
- To the bowl containing the bread, add the mince, onion, herbs, garlic, egg, salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix and knead everything together for 2 minutes, or until well combined.
- Divide the meatball mixture into 12 portions and roll each one into a ball about the size of a naartjie.
- Heat the oil in a large pan, add the meatballs (in batches) and very gently fry them on all sides, over a medium-low heat, until they are a nice golden colour but not yet cooked all the way through. Set aside.
- To make the sauce, add 500ml water and the white wine vinegar to the pan in which you cooked the meatballs. Boil gently for 5 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.
- In a separate small bowl, mix together the contents of the sachet of KNORR Thick White Onion Soup sachet with 125ml water to form a smooth paste. Whisk the paste into the water/vinegar mixture until smooth, then return the pan to the heat and simmer, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes, or until very thick.
- Remove the pan from the heat, cool for 2 minutes, then stir in the cream, parsley and lemon juice.
- Wrap each meatball in a cabbage leaf, tucking the edges underneath to form a neat parcel. Place in a single layer in a greased oven dish.
- Pour the sauce over the parcels and bake at 180 °C for 30 minutes, or until the parcels are cooked right through.
- Serve with mash and peas, or with cooked millet, quinoa or wild rice.
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