Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked rice, rinsed,soaked in cold water for 1 hour,and drained
1 large green cabbage (about 3 lb) or 2 small green cabbage
2 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onions, finely diced
2 -3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or 1/2 teaspoon garlic granules
8 ounces lean ground beef
8 ounces ground lean pork
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves or 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
1 medium green bell peppers, seeded and finely diced
2 stalks celery & leaves, finely diced
coarse salt
fresh ground pepper
2 (8 -12 ounce) cans tomato sauce, depending on how saucy you want your cabbage rolls
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed,to taste
2 -4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, more to taste
1/2 cup sour cream, plus more for garnish (optional)
Directions:
Soak rice while preparing the cabbage and the rest of the filling.
Using a paring knife, cut out the center core of cabbage.
Bring water to a boil in a pot large enough to easily hold cabbage head.
Add cabbage, and cook for 2-3 minutes or until outer leaves are tender but still bright green.
Lift cabbage from water, and remove outer leaves.
Return cabbage to boiling water, and repeat brief cooking and removal of leaves until all large outer leaves are removed and nothing but the core remains.
Reserve 1 cup cabbage cooking water.
Trim thick center vein from bottom of each leaf until thin enough to roll.
Finely chop about 1 cup of cabbage core for the filling, and coarsely chop and reserve the remainder of the cabbage core.
In a medium skillet, melt butter or olive oil over medium heat.
Crumble ground beef and pork into skillet, and cook until beginning to brown.
Add onion and garlic, and cook until golden and tender, about 5 more minutes.
Transfer to a large bowl, and add drained rice, finely chopped cabbage, parsley, green pepper, and celery, and stir to combine.
Season generously to taste with salt and pepper.
Add about 1/3 cup of filling to a cabbage leaf.
Fold base, then sides of cabbage over filling, and roll up leaf, starting with the stem end.
Repeat with remaining leaves and filling.
Line the bottom of a 5-6 quart Dutch oven or large casserole with coarsely chopped cabbage core, and place cabbage rolls on top, packing tightly.
If any large gaps remain between rolls, fill with remaining chopped cabbage.
In a small saucepan, combine tomato sauce and the reserved 1 cup of cooking water from cabbage, brown sugar, and lemon juice.
Bring to a simmer, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Pour some of the tomato sauce over stuffed cabbage to just cover them.
Bring to a gentle simmer, adding additional tomato sauce as needed, cover, and simmer for 1 hour or until cabbage rolls are very tender.
If desired, place sour cream in a small bowl, and ladle in about 3/4 cup of tomato sauce from the cooked stuffed cabbage rolls.
Whisk to combine, return sour cream mixture to Dutch oven, and stir to combine.
Serve with additional sour cream if desired.
Servings: Serve
Time preparation: 90 min.
Time total: 180 min.