2102—Chou Farci

Take a medium-sized round-headed or Savoy cabbage; parboil it; cool it, and suppress its stump. Slightly open out its leaves, and insert between them raw or cooked mince-meat, combined with chopped onion and parsley, and highly seasoned. Reconstruct the cabbage, pressing it closely together; wrap it in slices of bacon; string it, and braise it gently for three hours with stock and stock fat.

When about to serve, drain the cabbage; remove the string and the slices of bacon; set it on a dish, and cover it with a few tablespoonfuls of the braising-liquor, cleared of all grease, reduced, and thickened with some half-glaze sauce.

Send what remains of the braising-liquor separately.

N.B.—The preparation is improved if the mince-meat with which the cabbage is stuffed be combined with a quarter of its bulk of pilaff rice and the same quantity of foie-gras fat.