This is a great vegetarian recipe to use as an alternative to turkey on Christmas Day. Make double the quantity of stuffing and use to also stuff your butter-roasted turkey.
To make the stuffing, roughly chop the mushrooms and cashew nuts and finely chop onions.
Step 2
Melt the butter in a pan, add the onions and cook until soft and golden. Add the mushrooms and fry over a brisk heat until the moisture has evaporated. Mix in the chopped parsley, cashew nuts and breadcrumbs. Leave to cool, then stir in the beaten eggs and seasoning, mixing well. Cover and set aside.
Step 3
To make the timbales, place the cabbage in a large pan of boiling water. Bring to the boil; simmer until outside leaves have softened enough to be eased away. Lift the cabbage out of the pan; set aside, reserving the water. Remove the three outer leaves and boil them for a further 3-4min; place in a bowl of cold water. Quarter the reserved whole cabbage and remove the core. Take 700g (11/2lb) and remove any heavy central vein from the leaves; discard. Shred the leaves very finely, cover and set aside.
Step 4
Line six 150ml (1/4 pint) pudding moulds with microwave clingfilm. Drain the whole cabbage leaves and cut in half either side of the central vein. Discard the vein. Use the leaves to line the moulds. Fill with stuffing mixture and cover with foil.
Step 5
Place in a large roasting tin; pour in enough warm water to come halfway up the sides of the moulds. Cook at 190°C (170°C fan) mark 5 for 30min or until just set to the centre. Meanwhile, finely chop the onions. Melt the butter in a pan, add the onion and cook until soft. Mix in the reserved shredded cabbage, vinegar, 45ml (3tbsp) water, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring from time to time, for 15-20min or until beginning to soften.
Step 6
To make the sauce, place sugar and red wine vinegar in a small pan. Cook over a gentle heat until sugar has dissolved, bring to the boil and cook to a rich caramel. Pour in the wine, reduce by half, add lemon juice to taste and season. Cool.
Step 7
Turn out the timbales, spoon shredded cabbage on top, drizzle red wine sauce over and garnish with thyme sprigs, if you like.
Prepare ahead
Complete to end of step 4 the day before, cover and chill. To serve. Complete the recipe.
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An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
