Balandėliai (cabbage rolls) with lentils and mushrooms

Ingredients (serves 4)

• White cabbage700 g
• Red lentils (dry)150 g
• Rice (dry)100 g
• Mushrooms (button)300 g
• Onion100 g
• Carrot100 g
• Tinned tomatoes400 g
• Rapeseed / sunflower oil15 g

Also: Garlic, marjoram, bay leaves, dill, salt, pepper, water

Method

1. Get ready: bring a large pan of water to the boil over high heat (about 10 min). Cut the core out of the cabbage. Finely chop the mushrooms, onion and garlic, and grate the carrot.
2. Lower the whole cabbage into the boiling water and cook over medium heat for 5 min. Peel off the softened leaves; if needed, cook the head for another 2–3 min. Collect 12 leaves.
3. Rinse the lentils and rice and part-cook them in separate pans over medium heat: the lentils for 5 min, the rice for 8 min. They should still be half-firm. Drain.
4. In a frying pan, heat 1.5 tbsp oil (15 g) over medium heat. Fry the onion, carrot, mushrooms and garlic for 8–10 min, until the mushroom liquid has evaporated.
5. Mix the vegetables with the lentils and rice, add marjoram, dill and pepper, and season lightly with salt. Trim the thick vein off the cabbage leaves.
6. Put about 2 tbsp filling on each leaf, fold in the sides and roll up tightly. Place the rolls in a pan seam-side down, tucking the bay leaves in between.
7. Pour over 400 g tomatoes and 200 ml water and bring to the boil over medium heat (about 5 min). Cover and simmer over low heat for 40 min, until the cabbage leaves are completely soft.
8. Serve sprinkled with dill. Cool any leftovers within 2 hours and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze.