Chorizo Stuffed Napa Cabbage
I saw a beautiful looking head of napa cabbage and couldn’t resist it. So I decided to make it the co-star and wrapping if you will, to this chorizo. Serve with rice and some limes to give a hit of brightness at the end.
Recipe by Tierney Larson
Ingredients:
1/4 cup of raisins
1 tbl white wine vinegar
1/4 cup of hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
1 yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, (use half if it’s a large pepper), cored, seeds removed, and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
kosher salt
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 head of napa cabbage, outer damaged leaves discarded
1 pound of raw chorizo sausage (removed from casing if necessary)
1/4 cup of cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
1 egg
lime wedges for serving
Ok so…prep your ingredients:
In a small bowl, mix together the raisins and white wine vinegar, and give them a toss. Let sit while you prep the rest.
Toast the hazelnuts in a dry pan over medium heat, until slightly darker in color and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Remove and place inside a kitchen towel. Rub the hazelnuts in the towel to remove any excess skin and then chop them finely. Set aside.
Set a medium sized skillet over medium heat and once hot, add 3 tbl of olive oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the onion, peppers and carrots along with a pinch of salt. Stir occasionally and let cook (without getting color) until softened, about 7-9 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until it becomes fragrant, about 1 minute. Scrape the pan into a blender and add about 1/4 cup of water to help it blend. Blend until smooth. Taste and season with some more salt if necessary. Spread onto a plate so it will cool quickly, and set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil to blanch the napa leaves in. Trim off the stem of the napa cabbage and separate the larger leaves from each other. Set the smaller leaves aside. Place the large leaves on a sheet tray lined with a kitchen towel. Get a bowl of ice water ready next to the pot so you can shock the leaves after they’re blanched.
Blanch the leaves in batches of about 4 at a time, for just under a minute. Then remove them with a spider or slotted spoon and immediately place in the ice water. Place them on the lined sheet tray to dry. When finished, pat them all off so they’re dry, removing the towel underneath and discarding. Sprinkle them all with some kosher salt and finish the filling…
In a large bowl, add the chorizo, chopped hazelnuts, onion pepper garlic and carrot puree, cilantro, egg and 1 1/2 tsp of kosher salt. Chop the soaked raisins and add them in as well along with any remaining vinegar. Chop the smaller leaves of the cabbage that you set aside and add that in as well. Mix the ingredients all together until combined, using your hands or a fork.
When ready to assemble, take about 2 tbl of filling and place it near the base of the cabbage leaf, then roll it up until closed and set seam side down on a sheet tray. When all the cabbage leaves are stuffed and ready to go, set a steaming basket over about 1 quart of simmering water. Spray the steaming basket with some non-stick cooking spray and place about 4-5 rolls at a time in your steaming basket. Cover and steam over gently simmering water for about 8 minutes, or until the chorizo is fully cooked. Repeat until they’re all done and serve.
Serve with rice and a squeeze of lime. Enjoy!
