Cabbage Rolls

Sometimes I start cooking with very little idea where my efforts will end up.  It’s a lot more fun that way, and my creative cooking muscles (which atrophy in the mere presence of recipes) also get a work out.  It’s sort of like those mysterious kids’ storybooks that provide the reader with alternate endings.   It’s possible to either keep reading at the end of chapter two, or to skip to page twelve.  Likewise, I can continue in obvious ways with whatever I’ve started cooking, or be a little (or a lot) more daring.

Tonight I took a sort-of-obvious route, although unpremeditated.  First I browned a pound of very lean ground venison with sweet onions and garlic in extra virgin olive oil.  At this point the mixture could have evolved into something like goulash or some other casserole or chili-like thing, chop suey, or even soup:

Then I thought, well, I have that head of cabbage that needs to be used up.  So I added cooked rice, tomato sauce, salt, celery seed, cayenne pepper, and onion powder to the meat mixture, parboiled eight cabbage leaves, and stuffed them:

The little rice that was left spread out nicely beneath the neatly-lined-up rolls, which were eventually slathered what was left of the tomato sauce (with olive oil and garlic and onion powders added) and baked:

 Here's the finished product:

I realize this concoction isn’t rocket science, but rather just another peek into my kitchen activity.  It confirms why I, as a person who leans more toward artistry than engineering, enjoy spontaneous cooking. 

Not surprisingly, an hour after we finished dinner I received an email that a couple of hungry family- vagabonds looking for dinner (our adorable 30-something sons) would soon be showing up for the inevitable leftovers they’ve been trained over the years to expect will be here.  Waiting.  Just for them.