Bacon and Legs – Carter Rolls (Agent Carter-inspired recipe)
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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.
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.
- 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)
- 1 package chicken gravy mix (about an ounce)
- ¾ cup water
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 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, 8x8 baking dish. Pour 1 cup of water over the cabbage rolls and bake for 20 minutes.
- For lemon sauce: Whisk together. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Simmer until thickened.
- Remove cabbage rolls from dish and spoon lemon sauce over top. Garnish with parlsey.
Fontina Turner, a food blogger and graphic designer from Philadelphia, makes classy-as-fuck comfort food and consumes an unhealthy amount of cheeses and craft beers. She can be found in the kitchen, at the bar, on Twitter or trying to make H. Jon Benjamin love her. Contact her at thelegs@baconandlegs.com.