Carter Rolls

A full season in and I’m torn. Agent Carter was difficult to get into, had a hard time holding my attention AND I’ve already forgotten most of the plot of season one. But you ask, “Oh, did you watch Agent Carter?” and I’ll emphatically say “Yes! I loved it!”

What the hell is that all about?

It’s entirely possible I was just upset or stressed at the time that I watched it, therefore, didn’t give it my full attention.

Maybe it’s the dull aesthetic of the time period that wore on me, psychologically, and I didn’t even notice.

Cabbage Rolls a la Agent Peggy Carter

Perhaps a good deal of the acting took me out of it (except for you Ms. Atwell).

I could just be sexist. Though I’m pretty confident that isn’t the case.

Ultimately, I think it was the writing. Brilliant characters in a universe we already care about? No wonder I was won over by it. But the storyline just seemed convoluted and I just wasn’t buying a lot of the relationships. Peggy and Jarvis made me tingle, but again, that would be the character aspect of things. Their interactions weren’t even super comfortable to watch.

A new season of Agent Carter is coming out Tuesday, Jan 19th and our chicky is going to LA. I’m really hoping that they beef up the storyline this time around. I know they are planning on integrating it more into the Marvel cinematic universe, so I would assume that it will have some built in backstory and backbone without even really trying. And I AM pretty excited that there are rumors of a Doctor Strange tie-in.

But that’s just it, isn’t it? I’m going to watch. I love Peggy and I love Marvel. So even if this season sucks (I hate things that take place in LA), I’ll probably end up absent-mindedly loving it. Because I’ve been brainwashed.

That being said, who’s excited for season two of Agent Carter!? OMG it’s gonna be rad. I made a theme recipe that’s gonna knock your knickers off! I decided to do something Peggy herself would have made. I took a very classic immigrant recipe that would have been all over NYC at the time (I got it from my Grandma) and reduced it down so it would be enough for a single gal.

We all know cabbage rolls as meatloaf with cabbage in between the meat and ketchup, right? Maybe not quite, but essentially. This is more traditional … but also easy and short-cutty. The meat and rice has cinnamon in it so it has a nice warmth to it and instead of red sauce, it’s covered in a lemon sauce. It’s legit delicious and I like to think of Peggy making it for herself in her strict all-ladies apartment.

Make it. Light a candle. Expertly apply some lipstick. Pine over the one you lost.

Editor’s Note: Below is the recipe as it appeared on HoboTrashcan.com.

Agent Carter’s Lemon Cabbage Rolls for One
2 cabbage leaves
⅓ lb ground beef
1 small shallot, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup uncooked rice
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
⅛ tsp cinnamon
⅛ tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ cup water
¼ cup shredded mozzarella
salt
1 cup water
lemon sauce (recipe below)

Place cabbage leaves in a glass bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to sit.

In a large skillet, cook ground beef, shallot and garlic over medium heat until cooked through. Drain. Stir in rice, parsley, ½ tsp salt, pepper, cinnamon, oregano, lemon juice and water. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until water is absorbed (8-10 minutes). Stir in cheese.

Heat oven to 350°F. Dry cabbage leaves and sprinkle with salt. Split the filling between both the cabbage leaves. Roll, folding in the sides. Place in an ungreased, 8×8 baking dish. Pour 1 cup of water over the cabbage rolls and bake for 20 minutes.

Lemon Sauce
1 package chicken gravy mix (about an ounce)
¾ cup water
3 tbsp lemon juice

Whisk together. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Simmer until thickened.

Remove cabbage rolls from dish and spoon lemon sauce over top. Garnish with parlsey