Do you remember dolmadakia? Well, now the cold weather has set in, I thought I’d tell you about our winter version as well, ntolmadakia made with cabbage! We call them lahanodolmades, which we smother with avgolemono, a super yummy egg and lemon sauce that adds a zesty finish to the dish.

This is one fussy recipe, I have to warn you, but immensely rewarding! Just make sure you have a couple of hours to spare to prepare it properly – perfect for a lazy Sunday in the kitchen.

Here is what you will need:

• 1 medium cabbage
• 500 gr pork mince
• 150 gr medium grain rice
• 2 spring onions
• Parsley
• Dill
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparing the cabbage

Start with your cabbage. You need to cut out the stem and hard bits from the bottom, which can be done easily with a chef’s knife by cutting out its core. Next, blanch the cabbage in boiling water  to separate the leaves. This might take 2-3 passes to get most of the leaves out, that’s why this dish is fussy, but once you are done with this the rest is a piece of cake.

Also remember to keep a couple of the big outer leaves aside, you will need these to line the bottom of your pan.

The stuffing

This is truly very simple. Combine in a bowl the mince meat with the rice, onion, parsley and dill. Mix well and you are ready to stuff.

Rolling it in

If you have super huge leaves you can cut them in half, but remember to remove the hard stalks as they are not very appetising. Once you are satisfied with your cabbage leaf, add a generous spoonful of stuffing, roll it and tuck in the sides.

Place in the pot on top of your spare cabbage leaves in a circle. Make sure to not leave big gaps, they should be snug in the pot otherwise they will start swimming once you add the water.

On the hob

Once you are done rolling, add enough liquid to cover the lahanodolmades and leave a little extra on top. Lay a plate on top, this will secure them in place when they start boiling.

Cooking time

Total cooking time is approximately an hour. Bring on a hard boil for the first 10-15 minutes, then leave on medium heat for another 45 minutes.

The Avgolemono

Now this is a very traditional creamy lemon and egg sauce. It often accompanies vegetables and the likes of ntolma as well as soups.

Here is what you will need:

• 4 fresh eggs
• 3 lemons (for their juice)
• 2/3 of broth from your pot
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 25 gr butter
• A pinch of salt

What to do:

Separate the yolks from the egg whites. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until you have a tight meringue. In a different bowl, dilute the cornflour with a bit of water and beat it with the egg yolks. Stir this mix into your egg whites. When it looks homogenous start adding the lemon juice in a bit at a time and continue the same way with the broth. Make sure your broth has cooled or you risk getting an impromptu omelette. Transfer the mix to a small pot on the hob. On very low heat, start adding the butter, cut in very small pieces. When the butter is melted and integrated with the sauce you are done. Your avgolemono is ready to serve on top of a sizzling hot plate of dolma.

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