Cabbage rolls, is a hearty dish, that is guaranteed to warm you at dinner time, on those cold blustery winter days.
This dish is one that can be served either as an entree or as a side dish.
Ingredients:
1 whole cabbage about 3 pounds or more
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 pound ground lamb
1 cup onion (finely diced)
2 cloves of garlic (finely diced)
1/2 to 3/4 cup rice (pre-cooked)
1 large egg (beaten)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6-8 slices of bacon
1- 16 ounce tin tomatoes (diced)
1/3 cup beef bouillon or beef broth
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Cabbage PreparationBring a large pot of water to a rapid boil
Remove the core from the cabbage and submerge it into the boiling water. Cover it and cook it for 3 minutes. Remove the softened outer leaves onto a tray and replace the cabbage into the boiling water and repeat this untill all of the leaves are softened and removed ( about 20 or so leaves).
Carefully cut away the thick center stem from each leaf of cabbage. Then set your cabbage leaves aside to cool a little.
Stuffing PreparationUsing medium heat, heat up a large saute’ skillet (cast iron if you have it) and a tablespoon of pure olive oil.
Begin by sweating your garlic and onions until they become opaque in appearance, then add in the ground beef, veal and lamb the teaspoon of salt and the 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and saute’ them all together until the meats begin to change colour and brown.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cooked rice and the eggs until all the ingredients are combined.
Lay out each cabbage leaf separately and then place 3 heaping tablespoons of the meat and rice mixture onto each leaf. Roll each leaf, tucking the ends in toward the center and fasten securely each roll with a tooth-pick placing each roll seam side down into a Dutch oven.
Lay the bacon slices across the rolls overlapping them if possible.
In a mixing bowl combine the remaining tomatoes, bouillon, sugar, salt and pepper and pour them over the cabbage rolls. Cover the pot and cook on a slow simmer for about 1 hour, turning occasionally.
Remove to a serving dish and serve hot. ( makes about 10 servings)