Stuffed Heads of Cabbage
From Libro del Arte de Cozina by Diego Granado.Translated by Lady Brighid ni Chiarain.
PARA RELLENAR LAS OJAS DE LAS BERZAS, O REPOLLO DE UNA COMPOSICION LLAMADA NOGADA To Stuff the Leaves of the Cabbage, or Round Cabbage with a Composition Called Nogada [walnut sauce] Take large cabbage leaves of those which have the big, wide stalk, and remove that stalk from them, and wither the leaves with hot water, and put one leaf on top of another, which will be three in all, sprinkled with cheese, and have prepared a composition of walnuts pounded in the mortar with a few peeled almonds, and a point of garlic, and a crustless bread soaked in broth, and all being well soaked, add mint and marjoram, and chopped parsley, pepper, cinnamon, and saffron, a good quantity, and raw eggs, and raisins, and put the composition on the last leaf and wrap it in the other two leaves, and fasten it, and make it in the form of a ball, and cook it with fatty meat broth with stuffing, and being cooked remove it from the broth, detach the thread and serve it with the stuffing. In the same manner you can stuff the round cabbages, or clusters, having first cooked them, and then make a hole in the base, and having put the composition inside that void, close the hole with a little piece of the same stalk that you took out of the base of the cabbage, and wrap the round cabbage with large leaves, and fasten them as we said in the last chapter, and put it in an earthen vessel, or of copper, not very wide, where there is fatty meat broth with fat pork, and pieces of ham, and salted pigsí tongues, and a piece of calfís kidney-fat, and another piece of beef, and mutton ribs, adding pepper, and cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, and saffron, and fennel with the grain removed, and fasten the vessel in a manner that it cannot breathe, and cause it to cook over the embers far from the flame, and being cooked, serve it hot on a large plate with cheese, and cinnamon on top, and the meats cut into slices all around.
1/2
 Cabbage
1/2 C
 Walnuts
1/2 C
 Almonds
1 Clove
 Garlic
1 C
 Bread
1T + 1 t
 Fresh Mint
2 T
 Fresh Marjoram
2 T
 Fresh Parsley
1/2 t
 Pepper
1 t
 Cinnamon
10 Strands
 Saffron
1
 Egg
1/2 C

Rasins
2 1/2C
 Vegatable Broth

Wash cabbage well and separate leaves. Try to keep all leaves intact as possible. Separate out 1/2 C of the broth, warm it, and add the crushed saffron to broth. Mix breadcrumbs, walnuts, almonds, garlic, raisins, mint, marjoram, parsley, pepper and salt in a food processor. Then add the 1/2 C liquid with the saffron and the egg, mix well. Boil water and whither blanch cabbage leaves until pliable. Use a sharp knife to cut the rib flush to the surface of each leaf. Layer three leaves in a pile, make a total of four piles. Place 1/2 C of stuffing on each pile and then roll in the top two leaves. Turn the bundle so that it is seam down on the third leaf and then fold in one side and both ends finally rolling with the final side. Fasten with a tooth pick and then place in a casserole just big enough to hold them pressed up against one another. Bring stock to a boil and then add to the casserole until the rolls are almost submerged. Cover with aluminum foil and place in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until done.