By Marie Fagan Peart | marie@haldimandpress.com
Lindsay Bell and Matt Stewart
The phrase ‘it’s a small world’ immediately came to mind when I heard the cabbage roll story. It all starts with Lindsay Bell.
Lindsay grew up near the Gore in rural Hagersville with her mom Elaine, next to her grandparents Nancy and Keith McConachie.
She met Matt Stewart, who was from Guelph, and they have since married. It was very early in their relationship when Lindsay was spending Thanksgiving with Matt’s family. During conversation Kathy, Matt’s step-mother, mentioned she had the best cabbage roll recipe, which she had gotten from her mother. However, Lindsay knew that she had the best cabbage roll recipe because it was her grandmother’s.
Her grandmother, Nancy, had immigrated to Canada from Hungary as a young child with her family. When Kathy’s mother arrived, Lindsay asked her about the cabbage roll recipe. She explained that as a young girl living in Dunnville, she learned how to make cabbage rolls from her Hungarian neighbour. Lindsay was very surprised to hear this because her grandmother was from Dunnville. They discovered that Matt and Lindsay’s grandmothers, both incidentally named Nancy, grew up together as neighbours, and they both had the same recipe! It had been over 25 years since the grandmothers had seen each other.
Lindsay shared a second recipe that is very special to her. Every Sunday her and her husband make breakfast together and this French toast recipe was the first dish Matt prepared for her. Enjoy!
Aunt Nancy’s Cabbage Rolls
5 pounds ground pork
5 pounds ground beef
2 large onions, chopped
1½ Tablespoons paprika
2 Tablespoons salt
1½ Tablespoons pepper
1 cup rice (long grain)
4 large cabbages
Bick’s sauerkraut
Additional shredded cabbage
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Core the cabbage and place in the boiling water, with the cavity from the core up. As leaves wilt, pull them off with the aid of a knife. Cool, then trim the hard “tail” off.
Mix all other ingredients together thoroughly.
Put a small handful of meat on a leaf. Roll up, tucking ends in to finish.
Using a large pot (10 litres), put 1/2 jar Bicks sauerkraut in the bottom (must be Bicks!) and add a layer of chopped cabbage. Use some of the heads that were too small to roll for this.
Arrange cabbage rolls on top. Cover with the rest of the sauerkraut, and another layer of chopped cabbage.
Fill the pot half full of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook for 4 to 5 hours. Serve with sour cream if desired.
French Toast Recipe
1 uncut loaf hearty white sandwich bread,
challah, or brioche
5 large eggs
1 3/4 cups whole milk (or half-and-half/cream)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3-4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided, plus extra
Maple syrup or powdered sugar, for serving
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven. Heat the oven to 200ºF. Fit a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet.
Cut bread crosswise into 3/4-inch to 1-inch-thick slices.
Place all ingredients, except the butter, in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Whisk until eggs are fully combined and the sugar is dissolved.
Place slices of bread in a single layer in mixture. Soak, flipping once, until drenched but not falling apart, about 15 seconds per side. Transfer the bread slices to the wire rack; repeat for remaining slices.
Melt 1 tablespoon of the unsalted butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add as many bread slices as can fit in a single layer with space around each one. Cook until the bottoms are golden-brown and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook until the second side is browned, 2 to 3 minutes more. If the bottoms are getting too dark, reduce the heat to medium-low.
Transfer to a second baking sheet and keep warm in the oven.
Cook the remaining bread slices, melting 1 tablespoon of the unsalted butter in the pan before each batch. Serve with extra butter, maple syrup, and/or powdered sugar.
