On Sustainability and Cabbage Rolls

Feat. The Tree St Andrews

Ever since I started writing about food, I’ve sustained this unintentional theme woven throughout my articles and now my mind and habits: sustainability and conscious eating. It’s the first topic I wrote about, the piece that got me my first job writing, and now, what I have decided to emphasize in my restaurant and recipe reviews. It’s not that I have sought to discuss this topic in such depth, nor did I know I was very passionate about it; it simply is the section of a restaurant's ‘about’ page that entices me and that I find the most interesting. What isn’t intriguing about how a kitchen uses discarded beef trimmings or duck heads? 

I suppose I tripped into an education on sustainability. Nevertheless, it has evolved into a relatively solid foundation for a conscious awareness and appreciation for sustainable practices, especially within the food industry. 

In my own cooking, my mind has shaped this awareness into a healthy form of guilt. What will you do with those untouched spring onions?... and that half-empty Greek yogurt? This consciousness for my ingredients, this fear of negligence, and a general attempt to keep my conscience clear regarding food waste have not only helped me stretch my dollar but have forced me to stretch my ingredients. It’s a fun exercise that never ends, sharpening my creativity and innovativeness and giving me a chance to test my ability and push myself when it comes to recipe development. 

This interest and commitment couldn’t be forming at a better time… The Tree St Andrews is a student-run cooperative with a branch in my university town that links consumers to organic and ethical sources and gives local farmers and producers a platform. Twice now, I have done a project with The Tree to try, test, or develop recipes highlighting the ingredients they’ve provided me. More often than not, these recipes have established themselves as favorites in my long document of dishes made and favorites for those lucky enough to be around when the plate hits the table. 

So, I will slowly begin to release the favorites of The Tree recipes with short blurbs as to how the ingredients got me there and why the recipes are so great in their own right. I'm starting with yesterday's dish because I’m still recovering from its magnificence, and, quite frankly, I’m already grieving our time spent in the kitchen together. 

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The Development of the Cabbage Rolls

For those who know me well, they know that one of my favorite contributions to the culinary world is Dim Sum. It's a collective term, Dim Sum, probably of Cantonese descent, though it is now a large part of Chinese cuisine, indicating a vast array of hors d’oeuvres like plates, usually to share (for those who know me well, they’ll also know that sharing is my favorite eating style… whether they like it or not). Think dumplings, steamed buns, egg rolls, etc. Consequently, I was overjoyed when I got a massive head of cabbage in my shipment from The Tree simply because one of my favorite food influencers (@littlefatboyfrankie) made a recipe where he used cabbage leaves as dumpling wrappers… the above information is the base inspiration for this recipe. 

The next question was filling. 

To be quite honest, alongside that cabbage, there was some sort of squash that I could not identify. So I chopped it up and roasted it until very soft, and despite still not knowing what specific fruit I was tasting, it was great. It had this nice nutty flavor with a hint of sweetness that would be major in a pork based filling. So I mashed it up with minced pork and other aromatics and spices to create this perfect silky filling. 

Finally, assembly. 

I didn’t test how you might manipulate a cabbage to become a dumpling wrapper, so the image in my mind eventually had to adapt. When I thought I would have something resembling siu mai, I got something more along the lines of a spring roll. Works for me; spring rolls are awesome. So, here we have Pork and (mystery) Squash Cabbage Rolls, perfect for a disgustingly rainy day in Scotland where no one will leave their flats… unless you offer them some dumplings. 

Pork and Squash Cabbage rolls

Ingredients

• Cabbage*

• Squash* (my best guess is a Red Kuri Squash)

• Pork mince 

• Spring onions, chopped

• 1 knob ginger, minced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced 

• ½ tsp cinnamon 

• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil* 

• 1 tsp light brown sugar 

• Dipping sauce 

  • 1 tbsp soy sauce 

  • 1 tsp chili crisp oil (to taste)

  • 1 tsp rice wine vinegar 

  • ½ tsp toasted sesame oil* 

  • ½ tsp honey 

*provided by The Tree St Andrews

Procedure

• Cut the squash into thin slices, cover in olive oil and salt, and roast at 205C for about 20 minutes. 

• While the squash is roasting, separate all the cabbage leaves and rinse to clean. Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the leaves (1-2 mins). Remove and dry. Using a large cup, cut out circles from the cabbage. These will be your dumpling wrappers. 

• Once roasted, mash up the squash and separate it from its hard skin. Add the mash to a bowl with the pork, spring onions, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, sesame oil, brown sugar, and a large pinch of salt. Mix with a fork until very well combined. 

• Add the filling to each wrapping paper, tucking in the sides, then folding over, like a spring roll shape. 

• Steam each roll for 5-10 minutes, depending on size, until fully cooked. 

• To make the dipping sauce, mix all of the ingredients together. 

• Drown the rolls in the dipping sauce and serve.