Serves: 6–8
Cabbage Rolls
2 Tbs (1 fl oz/30 ml) grape-seed oil
2 cup Carnaroli rice (Carnaroli rice is a short-grain rice used primarily to make risotto)
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cup (16 fl oz/473 ml) white wine
2 cup (16 fl oz/473 ml) chicken or pork stock
2 cup (16 fl oz/473 ml) water
Salt and pepper to taste
2 lb (907 g) cooked bratwurst, chopped
1 head savoy cabbage
Parsley, minced
Applewood-Smoked Oil (see below)
Sauté the rice and onion in the grape-seed oil, deglaze the pan with the wine, and cook stirring constantly until the liquid level evaporates a bit. Add the stock and water and season with salt and pepper. Simmer until the rice is about three-quarters cooked. Cool the rice on a cookie sheet.
In a medium bowl, combine the rice and bratwurst.
Remove and rinse the savoy cabbage leaves. Drop the cabbage leaves into boiling salted water; cover and cook for 3–4 minutes. Drain well. Fill a leaf with 1 tablespoon of the rice mixture, fold in the sides and roll up like a burrito. Wrap each cabbage roll in plastic wrap to keep it from falling apart and steam the rolls for 15 minutes or until the internal temperature registers 145°F (63°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
Cool the cabbage rolls and reserve for heating in Farmhouse Ale Pork Broth. Unwrap just before serving.
Farmhouse Ale Pork Broth
1 lb (454 g) pork bones
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
2–3 cloves garlic, whole
2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 Tbs (1 fl oz/30 ml) tomato paste
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 sprig thyme
4 cup (32 fl oz/946 ml) water
3 cup (24 fl oz/710 ml) Tank 7 (or other farmhouse ale)
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Place the bones in a roasting pan and roast for about 30 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, and carrots to the pan and roast for another 30 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a pot, add the remaining ingredients, and simmer for at least 2 hours. Adjust the seasoning and serve with the cabbage rolls.
To serve, ladle 6 fluid ounces (177 ml) of broth into each soup platter and arrange 6 or 7 cabbage rolls in the broth. Garnish with parsley and a drizzle of Applewood Smoked Oil.
Applewood-Smoked Oil
1 cup applewood chips, soaked in water and drained
Grape-seed oil
In a stovetop smoker, smoke an open shallow steel bowl of grape-seed oil over the soaked applewood chips for 5 minutes, then let cool.
Beer suggestions: Colette Farmouse Ale from Great Divide (Denver, Colorado) pairs well, as do the remaining bottles from that Boulevard Tank 7 (Kansas City, Missouri) four pack.