Stuffed Cabbage with Basil White Wine Cream Sauce

I told you I've been stuffing things! Stuffed cabbage is something I make a few times over the fall and winter season, ultimate comfort food, warm and satisfying little bundles filled with meat, cheese, vegetables and herbs usually covered in a light tomato sauce but this time I wanted to change it up and replace it with and a basil white wine sauce. The wine sauce definitly elevated this dish to a different level!

My cabbage of choice is always savoy, I love the look of it's lacy patterned veins and crinkled leaves, it tastes great and cooks up perfectly, of course other cabbage would work as well.
For this recipe I used one HUGE cabbage and it made 15 rolls.
Preparing the Cabbage
Core as much of the cabbage possible before the actual steaming. Do not remove the outer leaves. Steam the whole cabbage in a large pot with approximately three inches of water. As the leaves soften, remove them one at a time to a large platter. Steaming the whole cabbage should take about thirty minutes. Cabbage leaves should be softened but not mushy. When cabbage has cooled enough to handle, use a paring knife and pare the thick base of the cabbage leaf. Set aside the tough outer leaves of the cabbage.

Stuffing Mixture

1lb. of ground turkey, I like to brown mine up a little beforehand

1/2 cup grated asiago cheese

1/4 cup of grated parmesan or romano cheese

1/2 chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 diced red pepper

10 oz of cooked brown rice

Salt and pepper

Grated lemon zest, fresh parsley and basil

Basil White Wine Cream Sauce

Saute 2 shallots in 1 tablespoon of butter, deglaze with a healthy splash of white wine, then add to that 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth and equal amounts of cream and whisk. Snip fresh basil into the sauce and let it reduce down until thickened, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Note: If cream is not your thing, you can make a bechamel with lowfat milk instead, but don't forget the wine!

Stuff each cabbage leaf and then fold them over like a burrito, place rolls seam side down in a baking dish that has some chicken broth on the bottom and a small amount of the sauce, drizzle cabbage rolls with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika, grated parmesan, salt and pepper. Cover loosely with foil and bake around 45 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

When finished baking place your cabbage rolls into a pool of sauce spooning some over the top.

The majority of the sauce is used as a finishing sauce because I found that if you pour it all over and then bake it, during the baking process it tends to break down and you sure don't want to miss out on swiping each bite into that creamy luscious sauce now do you?

Enjoy and Buon Appetito!