Tofu is a common staple for a large percentage of the World’s population. It is, effectively, a kind of cheese, made from curds of soya beans instead of curds from cow’s milk. In fact, tofu can be made from curdling milk from many different seeds and pulses. Like dairy cheese, it comes in many different forms, from a soft paste to a firm, meaty consistency. As a meat replacement, I would generally prefer an extra-firm tofu. For making sour cream replacements, or even desert recipes, I would use a soft, “silken” tofu. For the extra-firm I tend to the Tofoo brand, but it it worth trying different ones.
Cabbage has also been a long-time staple and has a large number of varieties throughout the world. In Ireland, we will typically see green, purple and savoy cabbages in the supermarkets. Several Asian varieties, such as Pak Choi, are also more frequently found. Cabbage is extremely versatile, full of good nutrients, and extremely tasty!
I got the idea for this recipe when watching a recent episode of SauceStache on YouTube where he used tofu as a replacement for different cheeses, including a lasagne using “ricotta”. I had been thinking of doing something with tofu, and also thinking of doing something with cabbage, so ricotta and spinach stuffed cabbage seemed like a great idea! SauceStache uses plant milk to add to the cheese effect, but I separated that out and used the milk in a roux to make a thick tasty sauce for the stuffing.
To prep the “ricotta”, break up about 280g of extra-firm tofu into small chunks in a bowl and stir in 2 tbsp lemon juice and 2 tsp salt. Leave to sit for a couple of hours in the fridge.
Par boil 8-10 cabbage leaves in boiling salted water for about 5 minutes and then drain and allow to cool.
Ingredients for the spinach sauce:
1 tbsp oil
1 medium onion
1 bell pepper
1 tbsp flour
250ml plant milk
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
100g baby spinach
Chop the onion to a fine dice. Heat the oil in a saucepan to medium-hot and then add the onion. Fry for about 5 minutes or so until translucent, then add in the finely chopped pepper and a good pinch of salt, and fry for another minute.
Add in the flour and stir in well. Allow to cook, stirring regularly, for a minute.
Now, take the pan off the heat and slowly stir in the milk, bit by bit, until you have a sauce. Put back on the heat and stir in the parsley. Keep stirring until the sauce comes almost to the boil and then stir in the spinach. Take off the heat and allow to cool.
Ingredients for the tomato sauce:
1 tbsp oil
1 garlic clove, crushed or finely chopped
1 tsp mixed herbs
1 can chopped tomatoes
100ml red wine
Add the oil to a cold saucepan and add in the garlic and herbs. Put the saucepan on a medium-hot ring. As the garlic starts to sizzle, keep stirring so that it doesn’t catch and burn. It will start to darken and this is the moment to pour in the chopped tomatoes and the red wine. Add a good pinch of salt and some pepper.
Bring to the boil and test for seasoning. Take off the heat.
Bringing it all together:
Once the spinach and parsley sauce has cooled, stir in the tofu bits.
Pour a couple of spoons of the tomato sauce into the bottom of a casserole and spread it around.
Now, take a cabbage leaf and add a heaped tablespoon of the “ricotta” (or two depending on the leaf size) and roll it into a packet. Place the packet into the casserole. Repeat the rolling into packets until the base of the casserole is covered.
Now, pour over the rest of the tomato sauce. Put the lid on the casserole and roast in a 180C oven for 45 minutes. Remove the lid and roast for an additional 15 minutes.
These can be served with some pasta or some potato wedges.