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5 Taste and adjust the seasoning, as needed. Serve hot.

Kitchen Notes: Shoulder and neck meat are perfect for the stew, becoming very tender with slow cooking. And cooking meat on the bone tends to result in a more flavorful dish. But it is difficult to eat this stew delicately, so provide large napkins and don’t be too dainty.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Serves 4 or 5

You can call stuffed cabbage golumpkies, golabkis, holupkis, or sarmas. They are pretty ubiquitous in eastern Europe. My mother’s version called for gingersnaps in the tomato sauce, which I thought was weird until I read that same version in The Joy of Cooking. Actually, I still think it is weird, which is why I came up with my own version. Plan ahead and freeze the cabbage, which avoids the awkward process of blanching the whole head of cabbage to make the leaves pliant.

CABBAGE ROLLS

1 medium head green cabbage

1 pound ground beef or ground turkey

1 cup cooked white or brown rice

½ onion, finely chopped

2 eggs, beaten

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

SAUCE

2 cups unseasoned tomato sauce or tomato purée

½ onion, finely chopped

¼–½ cup apple cider vinegar (artisanal cider vinegar is recommended)

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground ginger Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 One day before you plan to prepare this dish, remove the core from the cabbage. This is the hardest part. Using a long, thin, sharp knife, cut 2 to 3 inches into the cabbage in a circle about ¼ inch out from the core. Lift out the core, which should leave a hole about 2 inches wide and 2½ inches deep. Transfer the cabbage to the freezer and freeze overnight.

2 The next day, defrost the cabbage at room temperature or in a microwave at 50 percent power. Carefully separate the head into individual leaves. Wash the leaves in cold water. With a small, sharp knife, trim off the tough outer spines and discard them. Set aside the leaves.

3 Combine the ground meat, rice, onion, eggs, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Mix until well blended; your hands are the best tool for this. Set aside.

4 In another bowl, thoroughly mix together the tomato sauce, onion, ¼ cup cider vinegar, brown sugar, and ginger. Season with salt and pepper. Add more cider vinegar as needed for a sweet-sour sauce (artisanal cider vinegar is less sharp-tasting than supermarket cider vinegar and works better in this sauce).

5 Spoon about 1/3 cup of the meat mixture onto each cabbage leaf. Fold in the sides and roll up to form a neat parcel. Transfer to a plate or baking sheet. You should have enough filling to make ten rolls.

6 Preheat the oven to 350°F.

7 Chop the remaining cabbage and place in the bottom of a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Cover with about half the sauce. Arrange the cabbage rolls carefully on top of the sauce and pour in the remainder of the sauce to cover.

8 Cover the casserole and bake for 1 hour. Serve hot.

Kitchen Note: You’ll want to serve this with something to mop up the extra sauce. Mashed potatoes and hearty rye bread are both good choices.

Shepherd’s Pie

Serves 6

Shepherd’s pie was first served in England, made from lamb — or mutton — left over from the Sunday roast. This recipe harkens back to the original, with tender lamb chunks floating in a rich gravy alongside tasty root vegetables. This is a dish fit for company, a world apart from the American version made with ground beef and frozen corn.

FILLING

2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder or other boneless lamb stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons canola or sunflower oil

½ cup dry red wine

1 cup beef broth (page 125)

2 medium leeks, trimmed and cut into ½-inch slices

6 button mushrooms

2 carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally

2 medium turnips or 1 small rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon dried thyme

TOPPING

2½ pounds russet (baking) potatoes