Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients

1 large head cabbage (3 lbs)

Beef Bouillon cubes or 2 boxes of Beef Stock

1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 lb ground pork

1 small onion, finely diced

1 cup cooked rice

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 egg

1/4 cup fresh parsley or 1 tbsp dried

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dried dill

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp smoked paprika

Sauce:

1 small onion, diced

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp beef bouillon

1 15oz can tomato sauce, separated

1 15oz can diced tomatoes

2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Cut off the bottom and remove core of the cabbage. Make sure you get as much of the core out as you can, or it will be hard to separate the leaves as they cook. Place the head in pot of boiling water with beef bouillon. Boil about 2 minutes, peel off softened leaves. Repeat until at least 12 leaves are removed. (You want the largest leaves, and no leaves with large tears). Turn the pot down to a simmer and keep cooking the remaining cabbage.

In a large bowl, combine rice, 1/4 cup tomato sauce, onion, garlic, egg, parsley, salt, dill and cayenne. Add in raw pork and beef, then mix until just combined. (try not to mix it too much, as this will make them less tender)

Cut out the thick part of the stem from the bottom of each leaf, making a v-shaped cut. Place a heaping 1/4 cup meat mixture in each leaf, roll up. Makes about 12 rolls

Slice the remaining cabbage. Place in the bottom of deep baking dish.

Saute 1 small onion until soft and translucent. Add garlic when almost done, cook until fragrant. Add remaining tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Mix half in with the dish with sliced cabbage. Place rolls on top of this mixture. Pour remaining sauce over the top of the rolls. Cover and bake at 350° for 60-90 minutes, until meat has reached 165° degrees internal temperature.

Makes about 12 rolls, fits in high-walled 9x13 casserole pan

Notes

To roll the leaves:

Place a cabbage leaf on a cutting board, so it looks like a little bowl. Cut out the thickest part of the stem, this will leave a v-shaped cut and the leaf will now lie mostly flat. Place 1/4 cup of the meat and rice mixure just above the top of the "v" cut. Gently form into a log shape, making sure there is at least an inch of cabbage visible on the right and left side. Fold up the flaps from the bottom over the meat. Fold over both sides, then roll it up from the bottom. Place in the pan with the seam side down.