Kaalilaatikko is a Finnish casserole that contains ground beef, rice or barley, cabbage, onion, and seasonings. The dish is essentially the same as Finnish cabbage rolls, but in casserole form. In both recipes, a hint of sweetness comes from sugar beet syrup, which also promotes browning on top. The syrup is close in flavor to dark corn syrup, which is what we have available here. The casserole is usually served with lingonberry sauce, but cranberry sauce is a budget friendly substitute.
A lot of old ethnic recipes, like kaalilaatikko, were meant to be nutritious and filling, but they weren’t necessarily meant to be beautiful. Due to the visual era in which we are now in, I sometimes take ingredients that are traditional
Kaalilaatikko
Ingredients
1 medium head of cabbage (2 pounds)
1 pound lean ground beef (85% lean)
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Several pinches of salt, divided
Several pinches of black pepper, divided
2 cups cooked barley or rice (or wild rice)
2 cups beef broth
1/4 cup salted butter, melted
2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
Lingonberry or cranberry sauce for serving
Instructions:
Trim the stem and outer leaves from the cabbage. Place the stem end of the cabbage on a cutting board and slice the cabbage into 1/2-inch steaks. Take 6 steaks and arrange them neatly to fit a 9x13-inch baking dish (remove a few outer layers if necessary to fit neatly). Carefully remove the steaks and set aside on a platter (these will become the topping later). Chop the remaining cabbage and set aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook and crumble the ground beef until mostly browned. Add the onion and cook until the onion is tender and the beef is well-browned. Stir in the marjoram, allspice, and a couple pinches of salt, and pepper. Add the chopped cabbage, barley or rice and beef broth. Bring the mixture to boil and cook uncovered until the liquid reduces by about half, stirring often. Pour the mixture into a buttered 9x13-inch baking dish. Arrange the cabbage steaks on top. Drizzle with the melted butter and corn syrup. Season the steaks with a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 45-55 minutes, rotating halfway through baking time. The cabbage steaks should be tender and slightly charred. Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with lingonberry or cranberry sauce.
Yield: 6 servings.
