FASHION&FOOD: SAVOY CABBAGE

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Savoy cabbage leaves stuffed with Ricotta, San Daniele ham and Grana Padano Cheese

Adapted from Giancarlo Caldesi
Serves 4
For the tomato sauce:

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2x 400g tins chopped tomatoes

For the stuffing:

• 200g ricotta
• 75g Grana Padano Cheese, finely grated
• 100g San Daniele Ham, sliced and cubed
• Half a teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1 egg
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

• 1 savoy cabbage
• Grana Padano cheese for sprinking
• A handful of breadcrumbs made using day-old white bread

Start by making the tomato sauce. Heat the olive oil over a medium heat and soften the chopped onion and garlic for around ten minutes. Season well with salt and pepper whilst cooking. Add the tomatoes and wash out the cans with 100ml of water. Add this to the pan. Simmer for around 20 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced and thickened up. Check the seasoning and set to one side.
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.  Cut the base off the cabbage and carefully separate the leaves discarding the first three or four tough dark green ones.  Drop in ten or so leaves and boil for around five minutes until softened in the middle part of the stem.  Remove the leaves with tongs and put into iced water to stop the cooking.  This will help to keep the bright green colour too.  After a couple of minutes remove from the water and lay to drip-dry onto a tea towel.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Meanwhile mix the cubed San Daniele ham and other ingredients together for the stuffing.  Cut a triangle out of the bottom of each cabbage leaf and make little slits with a sharp knife along the thickest part of the backbone of each leaf.  Put a tablespoonful or so of stuffing in each leaf and start by folding in the outside leaves in and then fold over the stem end.  Roll up with the thinnest part of the top of the leaf on the outside.  If any leaves break, double wrap them using another leaf.  Continue until the stuffing is used up.
Pour a layer of tomato sauce onto the bottom of a lasagne dish.  Put the cabbage rolls in a single layer on top and then pour over the rest of the tomato sauce.
Scatter over the breadcrumbs and the remaining Grana Padano and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the cabbage leaves are cooked through and the top is golden brown.