Recipe: Cabbage with Chopped Meat

A.K.A. meatloaf with cabbage, about to go into the oven.

We had this last Wednesday, that cold evening Nick got to deer. Perfect supper with a nice salad... .

The name of this recipe needs a bit of explanation. As I recall, the recipe comes from a traditional Czech cookbook-- in Czech. The child of a Czech immigrant translated the cookbook into English. Her translation was quite literal, hence, "chopped meat." 

Naturally, Mr. Big Food ground the meats himself.

CHOPPED MEAT WITH CABBAGE  

1 head cabbage, large leaves removed and reserved, washed, parboiled, center of cabbage chopped 
2 Tbsp butter 
1 onion, chopped 
1 lb pork, ground 
½ lb veal, ground 
4 oz ham or smoked meat, ground 
2 handfuls bread crumbs, dampened in a little milk 
1 raw egg, plus an additional 1 egg scrambled in butter (optional) 
Grated lemon rind 
Salt, pepper 
1 Tbsp (heaping) lard, melted 
Water, plus 4 Tbsp (about) dry white wine, for basting meat loaf (“the wine is not necessary, but makes a tastier meat loaf”) 

Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter in a skillet, and fry chopped cabbage and onion on butter until tender. Chop cabbage finer. Combine pork, veal, and ham or smoked meat, add dampened bread crumbs, cabbage mixture, raw egg and scrambled egg (if using the latter), a little lemon rind, and salt and pepper to taste, mix well, and shape into a loaf. Pour melted lard into a loaf pan and cover bottom and sides, spread half the reserved cabbage leaves in bottom and up sides of loaf pan, add meat loaf, cover with remaining cabbage leaves, and bake “until golden,” basting with wine and water as needed. “While meat is baking, cover with a piece of moist paper so cabbage leaves will not burn.” Add a little water to gravy, cook, and serve with meat.