Comfort Foods: Cabbage Rolls

In a world of speed and convenience, cabbage rolls do not fit the model but it is one of our family favorites. When you have the time(and it can take 3 hrs to prepare from start to finish), it is a wonderful meal to share with your family. Feel free to adapt this recipe with any changes to suit your own family’s pallet.

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cabbage(pick your color, any color)
• 1 lb ground meat (beef/pork/chicken/turkey/tauntaun)

  

• 1/2 c long grain slow cook rice
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 onion(chopped)
• 1 15oz cans tomato sauce
• 1 15 oz can whole tomatoes
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• Salt/Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine the meat, rice, eggs, and onion in a bowl, adding salt and pepper if you wish, and set aside.
2. In a pot or saucepan simmer the tomatoes, tomato sauce, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce long enough for the brown sugar to dissolve and stir to an even color. Then set aside.
3. Now, take the head of cabbage and discard the first few leaves. They tend to be tougher, even after cooking. The tender under leaves are better anyway. Remove the leaves with a minimum of ripping from the head.
4. Blanche the full leaves in a simmering water bath to soften. No more than 3 minutes per leaf.
5. Optional: Before or after blanching take a knife and cut the thickest vein off the back of the leaf. Doing so will allow the leaf to wrap more readily around the meat and rice mixture.
6. Wrap 1/4 cup of the meat mixture in the cabbage leaves. Makes about 10-12 rolls.
7. Cut the remaining cabbage and place in the bottom of a 9×13 casserole pan.
8. Place the cabbage rolls on the loose cabbage and pour the tomato sauce over the cabbage rolls.
9. Cover and bake at 375° for 1 1/2 to 2 hrs.