Stuffed Savoy Cabbage Leaves | Guest Recipes | Nigella's Recipes (2025)

This is one of those dishes that came about because of what I had to hand on the day — I was about to embark on a traditional rice filling, when I remembered the bag of black chickpeas (garbanzo beans) I wanted to experiment with. The black pudding — especially the Spanish sort, morcilla, works really well with them. The texture of the black pudding is quite important; you need a crumbly one, nothing too dense, as this will make the sauce claggy.

For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

This is one of those dishes that came about because of what I had to hand on the day — I was about to embark on a traditional rice filling, when I remembered the bag of black chickpeas (garbanzo beans) I wanted to experiment with. The black pudding — especially the Spanish sort, morcilla, works really well with them. The texture of the black pudding is quite important; you need a crumbly one, nothing too dense, as this will make the sauce claggy.

For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.

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  Leaf: Lettuce, Greens, Herbs, Weeds

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Push the leaves down into the water and blanch for 3 minutes until soft but still bright. You need to make sure the stems are pliable enough to fold without snapping — if they aren’t, trim down the thickness of the stem where it juts out from the back of the leaf. Refresh in iced water and drain.
2. To make the sauce, heat half the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the black pudding. Sear on all sides — it will blacken quickly — then remove. Add the rest of the oil with the onion. Cook over a medium heat until the onions have started to soften and brown, around 10 minutes — you want a little caramelisation. Add the garlic and fry for 1–2 minutes, then turn up the heat and pour in the wine. Let it bubble up and reduce, then add the thyme, chickpeas and tomatoes. Season, stir then cook for 2–3 minutes. Return the pudding to the pan, stir through and remove from the heat. Check for seasoning.
3. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF/Gas 4) and oil a rectangular dish large enough to fit the rolled leaves snugly.
4. To assemble, take each leaf and lay it with the base of the stem facing towards you. If you want to make sure you have exactly enough mixture for the rolls, weigh the stuffing mixture and divide by 12 — it should be approximately 2 heaped tablespoons of mixture. Put the mixture towards the base of the leaf, fold in the sides, then roll up, making sure the mixture doesn’t escape. Place in the oven dish.
5. Pour over the stock, cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and, if using, sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and thyme. Regardless, dot over plenty of butter. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes.
6. Sprinkle the onion powder on the sour cream and serve.

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Push the leaves down into the water and blanch for 3 minutes until soft but still bright. You need to make sure the stems are pliable enough to fold without snapping — if they aren’t, trim down the thickness of the stem where it juts out from the back of the leaf. Refresh in iced water and drain.
2. To make the sauce, heat half the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the blood sausage. Sear on all sides — it will blacken quickly — then remove. Add the rest of the oil with the onion. Cook over a medium heat until the onions have started to soften and brown, around 10 minutes — you want a little caramelisation. Add the garlic and fry for 1–2 minutes, then turn up the heat and pour in the wine. Let it bubble up and reduce, then add the thyme, garbanzo beans and tomatoes. Season, stir then cook for 2–3 minutes. Return the pudding to the pan, stir through and remove from the heat. Check for seasoning.
3. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF/Gas 4) and oil a rectangular dish large enough to fit the rolled leaves snugly.
4. To assemble, take each leaf and lay it with the base of the stem facing towards you. If you want to make sure you have exactly enough mixture for the rolls, weigh the stuffing mixture and divide by 12 — it should be approximately 2 heaped tablespoons of mixture. Put the mixture towards the base of the leaf, fold in the sides, then roll up, making sure the mixture doesn’t escape. Place in the oven dish.
5. Pour over the stock, cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and, if using, sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and thyme. Regardless, dot over plenty of butter. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes.
6. Sprinkle the onion powder on the sour cream and serve.