Stuffed Cabbage

Stuffed Cabbage

Ingredients

Hungarian Tomato Sauce:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, smashed and diced

1 1/2 quarts crushed tomatoes

3 tablespoons dry red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cabbage Rolls Stuffing:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Splash dry red wine

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground pork

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups steamed white rice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 large heads green cabbage, about 3 pounds each

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large sauce pan heat oil over medium heat, then add the garlic and sauté for a minute. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes.  Add the vinegar and sugar; simmer, until the sauce begins to thicken, approximately 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat and set aside.

Stuffing sauce: In a skillet pan, over medium heat add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, sauté the onion and garlic for about 5-6 minutes, until onions begin to look translucent. Stir in the tomato paste, the wine, parsley, and 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce you just made. Stir all ingredients until warm, this does not need to boil, turn off heat and let sit.

Cabbage Stuffing:  In a large mixing bowl, combine ground meat and pork; add egg, cooked rice, and the sautéed onion mixture. Toss the filling together with your hands to combine, season with a generous amount of salt and pepper.

In a large soup pot, bring water to a boil, add in salt. 

Meanwhile, remove damaged outer leaves from the cabbage heads and set aside. Remove cored with a sharp knife, then begin carefully removing each leaf, keeping them whole.  Any smaller leaves not capable of being used (consider making coleslaw or another dish with them, just don't waste them).   The water should be boiling by now, so carefully place the leaves into the water and blanch them. Blanching is simply boiling for about 5 minutes until flexible.   By hand, using a large spoon, carefully strain cabbage from water and place under cold water, and then set aside. Add more cabbage to the boiling water, and repeat. Meanwhile, separate the leaves to count how many you have available to stuff.    If for any reason the center vein is still hard, just carefully cut the vein out of the leaf so you can work with it. I know this is a lot of work, but the end result is so worth the hard work it is to make these culinary delights.

In a large pan, use the outer leaves you pulled off the cabbage heads as your buffer to ensure against burning during cooking. 

Now it's time to assemble your cabbage rolls. Lay as many leaves out on a counter, and place about 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of filling in the center of each. Starting at the stem end of the leaf, fold in the outer portions, and begin to roll, and then place in cooking pan, seam side down. Pack them into that pan and pour the remaining tomato sauce over the cabbage rolls. Bake for 1 hour until the meat is cooked.

NOTE: These are great for parties or festive occasions. They freeze very well and and can be made ahead of time. Be sure to store away in freezer bags, never ever use aluminum foil to cover your food when freezing.