Dazz Switalla Flavour Secrets No.1 The Strand Chef www.no1thestrand.co.nz

The start of spring all ways seems to enthuse me over fresh ideas for using new season produce such as asparagus, basil and tomatoes.

But as we wait for the ensuring warmer temperatures and longer daylight hours we shouldn't forget that the most versatile cabbage should top the shopping list. Cabbage is great value for money and can be used for a coleslaw for sandwich and wrap fillings, added to stir fry, made into kim chi, or sauerkraut. Cabbage keeps fairly well and can really add more bulk to a lot of dishes. I have previously flavoured cabbage with chilli, lime, black bean, pineapple, cumin seeds, caraway seeds, and of course usually onion in the mix somewhere.

This week I have used an old Middle Eastern recipe replacing the usual long grain rice with Thai red rice and changing pine nuts to macadamia nuts.

The snack or light meal is great served cold for those warmer evenings, perfectly matching skordalia and is a vegetarian and gluten-free meal.

Red Rice Cabbage Rolls with Skordalia

Ingredients
Gluten-free vege 15-18 rolls

Rolls
1 cup red cargo rice
1 large cabbage
½ - ¾ cup lemon juice
1 small brown onion finely chopped
100g sultanas
100g chopped
macadamia nuts
1 Tbsp paprika
2 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
1 Tbsp cracked
black pepper
½ cup chopped parsley
Sea salt
Olive oil for cooking

Skordalia
3 medium agria potatoes
½ cup of olive oil
1 large clove garlic
chopped fine
½ -3/4 cup lemon juice
Salt and pepper


Method

Cook the rice in three cups of salted water for 20 minutes.

At the same time cook the potatoes, whole with the skin on, and boil the cabbage whole upside core side down in seasoned water in another large pot.

To make it easier to cook remove as much of the core carefully with a sharp knife first.

As the cabbage cooks peel off layers of the leaves and continue to cook.

When the rice has cooked cover and allow to rest for five minutes.

Cook the onion in a pan with a little olive oil until clear, then add in the macadamia nuts and stir well until nuts begin to brown, then add in the rice, paprika, star anise and the cinnamon sticks.

Add in one cup of water, and reduce until water evaporates about five minutes on a medium heat. Stir in the parsley and the sultanas and set aside. After all that time the potatoes may be ready, cook until a skewer encounters no resistance then scrap off the skin and pass through a sieve or potato ricer. Add the chopped garlic and while still warm begin to whip with a wooden spoon adding alternate dribbles of lemon juice and olive oil as you go. Continue until you strike that balance in flavour - the amount of lemon juice varies according to potato size.

After setting aside skordalia at room temperature finish the cabbage rolls by using half a cabbage leaf per roll. Trim off any remaining stalky bits.

Make up like a cigar with about a tablespoon of rice mix after seasoning and removing cinnamon and star anise.

Now place rolls in pot crammed together, pour over lemon juice then top with water and throw the star anise and cinnamon back in.

Cover with plate and weigh down with a heavy weight and simmer for 40 minutes.

When cooked allow to chill and serve with the skordalia. Both will keep for several days kept covered in the fridge.