Germanic dishes were brought into Sweden by immigrants, like those that were associated with the Hanseatic League and settled in Stockholm, Visby, and Kalmar. Swedish traders and aristocrats were influenced by the culinary traditions of the foreign countries they visited and kåldolmar is one of many examples. They were introduced to Sweden by Karl XII who discovered them during the Battle of Poltava whilst living in his camp in the Turkish Bender where he was introduced by his Ottoman creditors. From there the recipe traveled to Stockholm in 1716. Kåldolmar were mentioned in 1755, by Cajsa Warg.

Ingredients

• 1 medium head of cabbage
• 200 ml boiled rice
• 150 g minced pork
• 150 g minced beef
• 100 ml  milk
• 1-2 tbsp golden syrup
• butter
• Salt  and freshly ground white pepper

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200°C.
• Cut around the stem of the cabbage and boil the entire head in salted water.
• Carefully loosen the leaves as they soften, one at a time – place on a plate to cool off  and then  cut off the toughest stem section so that the leaves are easier to roll up.
• Combine the meat with the rice, season with salt and white pepper, and add the milk.
• You should end up with a fairly loose batter that isn’t too terribly runny – however, if it is a bit on the sloppy side, add a few breadcrumbs until you reach the desired consistency.
• Stuff the cabbage leaves with about 1 tbsp of filling and roll them up tightly to form a neat package.
• Place them in a well buttered  oven-proof dish, seam side down – dot generously with butter, drizzle with a little golden syrup and bake for about 40 minutes.
• When ready, remove the dish from the oven and pour off any remaining liquid into a small  saucepan, add a drop of dry sherry, a splash of oyster sauce and a little stock (if you don’t have any stock in your freezer, use a water or, if you have to, a stock cube).
• Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes to make a thin gravy, strain and pour back over the rolls.