Choux farci in France is made in several ways. It can either be small, filled cabbage leaves with meat or one large dish, like this one. They are most often bought at the butcher’s shop rather than prepared at home, but I do love the process of separating the leaves, blanching them, and filling them — a small victory at the end of the meal.

15 leaves of Savoy cabbage (from bigger to smaller)

filling:
90 g breadcrumbs (I use sourdough as they have a deeper taste, and we
always have some leftovers from our daily bread)
500 g minced pork sausage meat*
70 g shallots, very finely chopped
25 g garlic, grated
2 medium eggs
10 g parsley, finely chopped
sea salt, to taste (be careful as the sausage meat is usually salted)
1/3 tsp freshly ground black pepper

for sautéing:
20 g butter or mild extra virgin olive oil
100 g carrot, cut into small pieces
60 g celery stalks, cut into pieces
100 g shallots, chopped
150 g peeled potatoes, cut into pieces
80 ml medium dry white wine or use stock
250 ml hot vegetable or chicken stock

In a bowl, mix all of the filling ingredients together.

In a large pot, bring a generous amount of salted water to the boil. Prepare a bowl of cold water next to the pot. Immerse 5 cabbage leaves in the boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove them and place them in a bowl of cold water. Repeat with the remaining leaves. Drain well.

Melt the butter (or heat the olive oil) in a pan you will use for sautéing. Add the carrot, celery, shallots, and potatoes. Season with a little salt and sauté on medium heat for 10 minutes. If using wine, add it and increase the heat to boil for a minute. Then, add the stock. If using only stock, there is no need to boil the wine. Turn the heat off once the stock is added.

Spread a damp tea towel on a flat surface and lay out the first 5 cabbage leaves, overlapping them slightly. Spread 1/3 of the filling evenly on top. Top with another layer of cabbage leaves, add more stuffing, and repeat. Once all the layers are complete, bring the sides of the tea towel up and form a tight bundle, securing it with string.

Return the pan with the vegetables to the heat and gently lower the cabbage bundle into the pot. Cover tightly and sauté on medium heat for 1 hour and 20 minutes. To check if it is done, insert a skewer into the centre of the cabbage; if it comes out very hot, it is ready.

To serve, cut the cabbage into pieces and serve with some of the sautéed vegetables and a little of the cooking liquid. I also love to serve it with mashed potatoes.

I buy mine at the Place Carnot Wednesday or Croix Russe Saturday organic markets. If I need it any other day, I am using this organic and nitrite-free Saucisson à cuire