Christmas time in Greece is a time for some classic winter food gems. Stuffed cabbage rolls in egg & lemon sauce is just one of those fantastic Greek wintry comfort foods.

These cabbage rolls are filled with ground beef, rice, and fresh herbs, slow cooked with extra virgin oil olive oil, and served with a creamy egg & lemon sauce. It’s one of those foods that are very fulfilling yet feel very light and nourishing.

In Greece, we call them “Lahanodolmades” (lahano=cabbage, dolmades=rolls), with “Avgolemono” (avgo=egg, lemono=lemon).

The Egg & Lemon sauce, goes amazingly well with the flavour of the cooked cabbage and it's just such a fulfilling all day dish on a chilly day.

Ingredients

For The Filling:

800 grams ground beef
2 spring onions chopped
80 grams leek chopped
½ small onion chopped
6 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons short grain rice
Handful of fresh dill chopped
Handful of fresh parsley chopped

For The Cabbage Rolls:

1 large cabbage about 1,5 - 2 kg
150 ml extra virgin olive oil

For The Egg-Lemon Sauce:

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons flour
2 medium-sized eggs
1-2 lemons juiced

Instructions

For The Filling:

1. Heat a good splash of olive oil in frying pan over high heat. Add the onions and leek and cook until softened. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl add the remaining ingredients for the filling along with the cooked onions and leek. Knead mixture very well and set aside.

Prepare The Cabbage:

1. Remove the stem of the cabbage with a sharp knife creating a small hole.

2. Place the cabbage in a cooking pot with the hole downwards.

3. Half fill the pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat.

4. Boil the cabbage for 5-7 minutes. Then turn it upside down and boil for another 5-7 minutes.

5. Remove from pot and set aside to cool.

6. NOTE: Do not throw away the water in which you boiled the cabbage in. Just set the pot aside until you finish rolling all the cabbage leaves. The leaves in the heart of the cabbage might need some extra boiling as the may be hard still.

7. Once the cabbage is cool enough to handle, start removing the outer leaves.

8. Use a few leaves that are too small or broken to use for rolling, to cover the bottom of a cooking pot.

For The Cabbage Rolls:

1. Take a large cabbage leaf (it should be soft enough to roll otherwise dip it in the boiling water for a minute or two). Remove the harder part from the bottom of the leaf, making a V incision. Cut the leaf in half.

2. Add a piece of the mince filling (about a tablespoon) on the cut end of the cabbage leaf.

3. Fold the cabbage envelope-like, and start rolling upwards.

4. Add the cabbage roll in the cooking pot, seam side down over the cabbage leaves.

5. Continue process until you roll all the filling. Making sure you place all the rolls in the pot very close to each other so they won't unfold while cooking.

6. Pour the cabbage water (from the pot in which you boiled the leaves ) over the rolls. It should slightly cover the rolls. Otherwise, add a bit more water. Pour in the 150 ml of olive.

7. Add an inverted plate on top of the rolls, to keep them down while cooking. Bring to a boil over high heat.

8. Once it starts to boil reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered for 45-50 minutes.

9. Remove from heat and set aside.

10. Drain the liquid from the pot by holding the plate to keep the rolls in place. Be careful though as the plate will be very hot and you'll need a heat resistant glove.

Preparing the cabbage leaves and stuffing

Rolling the cabbage leaves

For The Egg & Lemon Sauce:

1. In a small cooking pot whisk together the flour and olive oil.

2. Heat over high heat. Cook for 1-2 minutes and add the drained liquid.

3. Whisk until slightly creamy. Remove from heat. If it's too thick add a little bit of water.

4. In a mixing bowl whisk the eggs. Add the creamy sauce to the eggs. Very slowly (threadlike) while whisking constantly.

5. Whisk the lemon juice into the sauce and pour it over the cabbage rolls. Shake the pot with the cabbage rolls, for the sauce to spread evenly.

Ready to serve!

Serve several rolls in a deep soup bowl, covered with a generous amount of avgolemono on top. Sprinkle with dry chili flakes or ground black pepper if you wish.

A soothing veggie stew with garlic, allspice, cumin, and coriander, this bright and lemony-tasting dish is one many Palestinian families turn to for comfort. It’s nutritious, delicious, filling and inexpensive. It tastes even better a few hours after it’s made, so try to cook it ahead of time. Serve it with rice, or a dry crusty bread.

To make this you will need a medium pot, a small skillet and a mortar and pestle. Let’s do this!

Yield: serves 4
Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Ingredients

1⁄4 cup Greek extra-virgin olive oil,
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
4 medium garlic cloves, coarsely crushed with mortar and pestle
Two 500g cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 1⁄4 cups vegetable stock
1⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
500g fresh baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1 1⁄2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 1⁄2 tsp. coriander seeds
1⁄2 tsp. ground allspice
1⁄2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1⁄4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp. sea salt, plus more as needed

Serve with

Any crusty white bread or steamed rice

Instructions

In a medium pot over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Once hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and slightly translucent, 10–12 minutes.

Meanwhile, set a small skillet over medium heat. Add the the cumin and coriander seeds and toast, stirring constantly, until the spices are aromatic and slightly browned, 45–60 seconds. Transfer the seeds to a clean, dry mortar and pestle and let cool to room temperature.

When the spices are cool, grind them with the pestle and transfer them to the pot of onions. Add the garlic, allspice, black pepper, and nutmeg, stir well, and continue cooking until the garlic is fragrant but not yet caramelized, 2–3 minutes.

Add the chickpeas and stock, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a strong simmer. Cover and cook until the chickpeas are plump and very tender, 30–35 minutes. Stir in the spinach. (You may need to add it in batches and wait for each batch to wilt.) Then, add the lemon juice, salt, and the remaining extra virgin olive oil. Cook for 5–10 minutes, to reduce water and depending on how you like your spinach, then adjust the seasoning, adding more lemon juice or salt as desired.

Serve hot, with crusty bread or white rice if desired.

Lentils enjoy a cult food status for millions of people in the Levant, stretching from the Mediterranean all the way to India. This protein-rich, iron rich pulse is an indispensable cheap and delicious staple that can be enjoyed as a soup or a stew.

In this, one of my favourite lentil recipes, red lentils and hearty butternut squash are transformed into a smooth fragrant soup; served with warm crunchy pita breads, it's perfect as a simple main course or a comforting warm feeling on a rainy day. Let’s do this!

Yield: serves 5-6

Soup Ingredients

1⁄4 cup Greek extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 medium carrots, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1⁄2 tsp. crushed red chile flakes
1⁄2 small butternut squash (about 500g.) peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1.5 litres chicken stock (or veggie stock if you want to go vegetarian/vegan)
1 cup red lentils

Garish

Finely chopped parsley, for garnish
Pinch of Paprika
Graviera cheese gratings (optional)
Flatbread and lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

Heat olive oil in medium sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, carrots, celery, and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly caramelized, 10-12 minutes.

Stir in cumin, chile flakes, squash, salt, and pepper; cook until squash is soft, about 15 minutes.

Add stock and lentils; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, slightly covered, until lentils are very tender, about 20-30 minutes.

Let soup cool slightly, then, working in batches, purée soup in a blender until smooth.

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with parsley and paprika; serve with flatbread and lemon wedges on the side. If you like, you can sprinkle some graviera cheese on top to give a wonderful creamy, cheesy layer.

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