Napa Cabbage Rolls

Choose a large cabbage to make this dish, it will mean you have enough for all the filling! If you do run out of leaves, you can use the filling to make dumplings or as a base for a quick stirfry. 

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
6 garlic scapes, tender stems chopped up to flower bud
1 lb ground meat (beef, chicken or pork) OR 1 block firm tofu, shredded or crumbled 
4 oz shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, shredded
3 scallions, chopped
¼ cup cilantro, leaves and tender stems, chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 large head Napa cabbage, leaves separated 
¼ cup hoisin sauce
Salt and pepper to taste 

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. In a medium sized pan, heat oils over medium high heat. Add ginger, garlic scapes and mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly.
3. In a large bowl, combine meat or tofu, carrot, scallions, cilantro, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and salt and pepper. Use your hands to mix until well integrated. Add ingredients from frying pan and mix well.
4. Bring a large pot of water to boil, and blanch the cabbage leaves for about 10-20 seconds to make the pliable to roll. 
5. Lay a cabbage leaf flat on a baking sheet. Scoop anywhere from 3 tablespoons to a ½ cup of the filling, depending on the size of the leaf, onto the stem end. Roll towards the leaf end, folding in the sides if you have some spare leaf (but not required). Place roll, seam side down, on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling.
6. Brush or drizzle the hoisin sauce to coat the tops and sides of all the rolls. Bake for 30 minutes. Check to make sure meat is cooked, and cook for additional 4-5 minutes more if needed.
7. Serve on top of rice with more soy or hoisin sauce if desired. 

Garlic Scapes! 
The unformed flower of the garlic plant, scapes are a fleeting delight of spring! The flower is removed so that the plant puts all of its energy into forming the head of garlic that we are all familiar with. They are best and most interestingly stored in a cup of water on the counter or as a centerpiece on your table! Just be sure to change to water regularly. Scapes can be tough towards the flower end, so remove the pointy flower bud before cooking. They can be swapped out for garlic in almost any recipe, and since they lost their bite when cooked, can be used heavily without fear of being overpowering.