Yehudit’s Cabbage Roulette Recipe is a simple, quick to make dish of softly sauteed shredded vegetables wrapped in crisp, crunchy phyllo pastry.
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Tell us about yourself, Yehudit Mazur
I am a Jewish learner and teacher. I love cooking and baking, love my kids, love Israel, love Jewish people, love helping people get healthier by changing some of their lifestyle habits. You can read all about this with me at noshingacrossthenation.com.
I was born in Russia, lived in Ukraine, Russia, and Caucasus (Chechnya). I immigrated to the US in 1997, having just started learning all things Jewish right before that. I was able (thank Gd!) to bring up my two daughters on my own after being widowed right after moving to New York. They are now amazing grown up adults, one of whom is mother of my precious grandson.
After working for almost 25 years for both for and not-for-profit here in New York, I am finally doing what I love the most: learning in the Beit Midrash program of Yeshivat Maharat. I am teaching Jewish women history and beginners Hebrew, and running my own small wellness business. I am recently happily remarried.
I absolutely love to read and learn. Usually I am reading a few books at a time. Currently I’m reading some polar opposite approaches to life books:
In terms of food – I am a perpetual experimenter – I will never use someone else’s recipe as it is written, I will always add/change something – I can’t be bored, ever. I like to mix foods from my very mixed heritage – Jewish Ashkenazi, foods of the Jews of the Caucasus, Russian, Ukrainian, and of course Israeli food.
You can find me on Instagram at @yehuditm_mm.
Tell us about your passion project
I learn, and I help people become healthier without the need for medications. I believe that eating good food that we make ourselves, getting rid of toxic cleaners and replacing things that we use daily with natural ones can help people (as it helped me) to live better. We can have healthier lives, and be happy and ready to help others live in peace and harmony. Maybe then we will all be a bit kinder to each other?
Tell us about your connection with Judaism. How is it expressed in your life in general, and in your kitchen?
This is my life. Every moment, every day. I learn, I teach, I eat Kosher, I talk about it every chance I have. The more I learn, the more I see the beauty of Judaism as a way of life.
How do you express your values in your home through your kitchen?
I love hosting for Shabbat! My husband and I don’t eat meat, but most of the people in our community do not imagine a Shabbat meal without meat. I would make Shulent my own way: no potatoes, but a mix of barley, chickpeas, beans and some rice usually based on a mix of lamb and turkey for a nice balance.
I love making lots of different salads mixing the cuisines of different parts of the Jewish world. I would have Russian, Mediterranean and Moroccan foods on the same table at the same time.
Thankfully, I know that people love coming to me, and I love inviting them. Over the years, I use less and less plastic, except on Pesach. I have a very small kitchen, so having lots of special Pesach dishes is a bit hard for me in terms of storage. We almost never go out, except maybe for sushi since we realized that most of the food I can make at home and then I will, for sure, know what is in the things on my plate.
What is the best thing you learned from another person about food and hospitality?
My grandmother used to make amazing food. She never really taught me, but just looking at her I learned that food made with love and served with love can break any barrier.
What three food items could you not live without?
Lemons, salad greens and cranberries
What is your best food tip?
If you are a baker, and like me have no time to make sugared citrus like my grandmother used to make – whenever you eat a citrus – tangerine, orange, lemon – cut the thoroughly washed peel in small pieces, and put in a glass jar adding some sugar to it. It will last forever in your freezer, and you add just a little bit of this into pretty much anything you bake – your pies and cakes will get a fresh citrusy smell, and will taste delicious.
What are your 2-3 go-to cookbooks?
Oh, that’s hard. I think I have maybe 100. I read them as novels. I love those that tell a story of a community…
Aromas of Aleppo: The Legendary Cuisine of Syrian Jews
This book shares recipes such as:
- Tangy Tamarind Bulgur Salad (Bazargan)
- Stuffed Syrian Meatballs with Ground Rice (Kibbeh)
- Date-Filled Crescents (Eras bi’Ajweh)
Israeli Soul: Easy, Essential, Delicious
From the co-owners of Zahav restaurant in Philadelphia, this book has falafel, spiced meats, chopped vegetable salads and much more.
Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World
This book is like a treasury of international vegetarian Jewish cuisine. Recipes include:
- Sephardic Bean Stew
- Ashkenazic Mushroom Knishes
- Italian Fried Artichokes
- Hungarian Asparagus Soup
Tell us your Cabbage Roulette recipe story
I call this my “Emergency Cabbage Roulette”. My mom used to make sauteed cabbage. It’s a super healthy and easy to make dish. I decided to make it into a roulette. Like this it is very easy to have on hand anytime. Even if people show up unexpectedly, or you have nothing to eat at home, you can always have this in your freezer and serve literally in 10-15 minutes. You just need to warm it up. It works as a great Shabbat appetizer too, and is easily warmed on the blech or in a low-heat oven as it doesn’t have any liquid. It always comes out fresh – soft and delicate inside and crispy outside.
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1 nice and firm head of green cabbage
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2 medium onions or 1 big
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2-3 carrots
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1 package of baby-bella mushrooms (totally optional)
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Olive and / or sunflower oil for frying – about 1/4 cup depending on the amount of filling you have
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Salt (about 1 teaspoon) and freshly ground black pepper to taste
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Sweet and hot paprika – a pinch
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A dash of turmeric
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dried dill
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One package of phyllo dough (you will use half of it) thawed in the refrigerator for a few hours, and taken out before starting to prepare filling
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1 egg for an egg wash
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Sesame seeds or ‘Everything but bagel’ spice mix
- If phyllo dough is frozen, thaw in the fridge overnight.
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Dice the cabbage and onion finely, shred the carrots.
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In a big pan, start frying the onion first. Add the carrots, then cabbage at intervals of about 1-2 minutes, stirring the mixture while adding ingredients.
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Cook the cabbage mixture over relatively high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring once in a while with a wooden spatula.
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Meanwhile, dice the mushrooms if using.
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Season the cabbage with the spices, or swap them for whichever ones you prefer, and mix well.
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Remove the cooked cabbage mixture to a big bowl.
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Add the mushrooms to the same pan and fry over the high heat until browned, seasoning with the same spices as the cabbage.
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Add the mushrooms to the cabbage and mix.
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Take the dough out of the package. Make sure to work relatively fast, keeping any sheets you are not currently using covered with the packaging paper or wax paper to prevent them drying out.
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Preheat the oven to 380F.
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Place a piece of parchment on a board or baking sheet. Lay out one to two sheets of the dough at a time, brushing lightly with olive oil. You can brush every sheet with oil, but I just touch one or two sheets with oil. Continue adding enough layers of sheets to give you comfort that the dough will not break. (Remember that the less dough you use, the healthier the roulette will be as you only need enough to hold the filling. I make mine very thin, using just 4-5 sheets of dough, but you will have to cut the final product into thick enough slices that the filling does not get squeezed out while slicing.)
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Put a good amount of filling along the long edge of the dough.
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Now roll it all the way to the end and close slightly at both ends to form a long cylinder shape.
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Brush the roulette with the beaten egg and sprinkle sesame seeds all over.
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Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden.Take out of the oven and put on a rack to cool slightly. Slice and serve!
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If you are making the recipe in advance, cut it in big pieces to store in the freezer in airtight containers. Warm for 5-7 minutes in the oven or about 40 minutes on the blech outside of the source of fire.
Keywords: kosher, phyllo, cabbage
More Community Recipes
Jewish Food Hero’s Community Recipes feature is a space for us all to share our favorites and hear from a variety of people in our community. This is an easy and fun way to get new meal ideas and learn about each other. Since you’ve read Freya’s recipe, do you feel inspired to share your Kosher recipe? Don’t forget to get in touch to share your recipe too!
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