Lynne Guinne
Veteran
To wit: softened cabbage leaves, stuffed and rolled with a meat mixture and sauced with a tomato product*
Core a large cabbage, then steam or simmer it, pulling the outer leaves off as they soften. Do not let them get too soft - you don't want them to tear when you go to roll them. When cool enough to handle, trim the thick rib down so that it is at about the same thickness as the surrounding leaf.
For each pound of ground meat** you will need:
1/2 cup (a small) chopped onion
1/2 cup raw white rice***
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
an egg
Saute the onion if you wish, or use raw. Mix the rest of the ingredients in with the onion, and add just enough tomato product to make the mixture moist but not wet. Lay a cabbage leaf out on your work surface, add a portion of the raw meat mixture****, and roll-and-tuck the leaf around the meat. If it won't tuck, you can use a toothpick. When you have all of your rolls done, spread some tomato product on the bottom of your roasting pan or casserole dish. Lay the rolls side by side. If you need to make a second layer, spread more tomato on top of the first layer before adding more. I wouldn't cook them any more than two layers deep. When you're done rolling and saucing (you should almost cover the top of the rolls), cover and bake in an oven (350 F/180 C/Gas Mark 4) for an hour to an hour-and-a-half. You really can't overcook. Just make sure the rice is tender.
The more liquid the rolls are baked in, the more you will have for "gravy". Serve these alone, with noodles, or with mashed potatoes (my favorite way).
*For the tomato, you can use anything that is smooth: tomato sauce, puree, juice, or crushed (if you want some pulp and seeds). You will need the equivalent of a large can (28-29 U. S. ounces) for each pound of meat.
**I use extra-lean ground beef - you can use a beef-pork blend, or a meat substitute.
***If you use a brown rice, par-cook the rice. I use brown Basmati rice, bring a cup of water to a boil, then add a cup of raw rice, stir, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Turn off the burner, drain any remaining water in the pot, and return the pot to the burner with the lid off the pot. It will finish cooking when you bake the cabbage rolls.
****The size of the leaf will determine the amount of the meat. You want it nicely filled without making it hard to completely roll up.
Enjoy!
Core a large cabbage, then steam or simmer it, pulling the outer leaves off as they soften. Do not let them get too soft - you don't want them to tear when you go to roll them. When cool enough to handle, trim the thick rib down so that it is at about the same thickness as the surrounding leaf.
For each pound of ground meat** you will need:
1/2 cup (a small) chopped onion
1/2 cup raw white rice***
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
an egg
Saute the onion if you wish, or use raw. Mix the rest of the ingredients in with the onion, and add just enough tomato product to make the mixture moist but not wet. Lay a cabbage leaf out on your work surface, add a portion of the raw meat mixture****, and roll-and-tuck the leaf around the meat. If it won't tuck, you can use a toothpick. When you have all of your rolls done, spread some tomato product on the bottom of your roasting pan or casserole dish. Lay the rolls side by side. If you need to make a second layer, spread more tomato on top of the first layer before adding more. I wouldn't cook them any more than two layers deep. When you're done rolling and saucing (you should almost cover the top of the rolls), cover and bake in an oven (350 F/180 C/Gas Mark 4) for an hour to an hour-and-a-half. You really can't overcook. Just make sure the rice is tender.
The more liquid the rolls are baked in, the more you will have for "gravy". Serve these alone, with noodles, or with mashed potatoes (my favorite way).
*For the tomato, you can use anything that is smooth: tomato sauce, puree, juice, or crushed (if you want some pulp and seeds). You will need the equivalent of a large can (28-29 U. S. ounces) for each pound of meat.
**I use extra-lean ground beef - you can use a beef-pork blend, or a meat substitute.
***If you use a brown rice, par-cook the rice. I use brown Basmati rice, bring a cup of water to a boil, then add a cup of raw rice, stir, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Turn off the burner, drain any remaining water in the pot, and return the pot to the burner with the lid off the pot. It will finish cooking when you bake the cabbage rolls.
****The size of the leaf will determine the amount of the meat. You want it nicely filled without making it hard to completely roll up.
Enjoy!
How about photos then? This is the side of the leaf that looks at you when you grab a head of green cabbage:
