Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Estonian Cabbage and Mince Stew

Estonian cabbage and meat stew / Kapsa-hakklihahautis

I realised today that I haven't been posting many Estonian recipes lately, which doesn't mean I haven't been eating lots of local food recently. I have. Especially cabbage dishes, as the new season's cabbage has hit the stalls. Today's dish is not strictly seasonal per se - it can be made in the middle of a rainy autumn, dark winter and promising spring. But somehow I always crave this dish in the early to mid-summer, when the cabbage tastes sweetest.

Estonian Cabbage and Mince Stew
(Hakkliha-kapsahautis)
Serves 4

1 large green cabbage (about 2 pounds/1 kg), finely shredded
2 carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
about a cup of freshly boiled water
salt
freshly ground black pepper

400 g (leanish) beef mince
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

fresh parsley (optional)
boiled potatoes, to serve

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the carrots and the cabbage, season with salt and sauté for a few minutes, until the cabbage wilts a little. Add the boiling water, cover and simmer on a medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, until cabbage starts to soften.
On a frying pan, heat the oil, then add onions and minced beef. Fry, stirring regularly, until the mince is browned all over. Add the whole lot to the softened cabbage. Give it a quick turn and continue simmering for another 10-15 minutes, uncovered, until the cabbage is nicely softened.
Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley, if you wish, and serve with boiled potatoes.

14 comments:

RamblingTart said...

Delicious! This looks so cozy and homey and reminds me of the Russian and Ukrainian food I had growing up in Canada. :-)

discount cookware said...

The dish is looking delicious,thanks for giving the recipe and the ingredients i will must try it at home.

k said...

The best. I usually use salmon mince, yum .)

Anonymous said...

for me there is no this stew without dillweed...

Saz said...

this sounds delicious - i love the simplicity of eastern european dishes - no stodgy cheeses, oil or strong flavours added, just the simple flavours of the ingredients. I look forward to seeing more estonian dishes.

baresytapas said...

I entered this site by chance, but I found very interesting. A greeting to all the people who visit this page.

Carolyn said...

Mmm, love cabbage. This looks like a perfect winter supper. Thanks for stopping by my blog, I wouldn't do low carb if I didn't have to!

Cooking in Mexico said...

It is summer here in Mexico, but we would eat this winter or summer. My husband, with Polish heritage, will love this.

Kathleen

ChichaJo said...

Cabbage is one of my favorite veggies...lovely home cooked dish here Pille!

Anonymous said...

Great Blog! A lot of inspirations! Congratulations:) Greetings from Warsaw Aniado

Steve said...

This is quite good. I made it using half a head of purple cabbage and added a couple of cups of cooked brown rice.

Roxy said...

Delicious. Even Steve cleared the plate and he's not normally a cabbage fan. Will cook it again! x

Carla said...

I have fixed this dish several times and we love it, thanks for sharing the recipe with us Pille!!

Pille said...

RamblingTart - glad to bring back some good memories :)

K - salmon mince??? Sounds different!

Sesamy - minced fresh dill or parsley can be always added!

Saz - I'll do my best and try to add more Estonian dishes..

Carolyn - funnily enough, it works both as a winter supper as well as a summer supper!

Kathleen - hope your hubby enjoyed this!

joey - I guess there aren't many bloggers who'd claim to be so fond of cabbage? :)

Aniado - thank you!

Steve - adding rice is unusual to an Estonian, but it's actually done in Finland. Makes it more substantial!

Roxy - great to here that! Hope that Ezra will have a chance to enjoy this one day, too!

Carla - I'm so glad you enjoyed this - and I'm always happy to help you with Estonian dishes for the wee ones!