Cabbage rolls are one of my dad's specialties (though Mom would protest it is her recipe; yet when I asked her questions about it, she turned to Father for answers. Mm hm.). I prepared this as both an eat now and freeze for later meal, and it was a joint cooking venture for Greg and I, as more hands make light work with this dish. Olivia, who apparently hasn't seen Greg cook much recently, looked at him and said, "Why are you cooking?" We'll have to put him in charge of the kitchen again on occasion so she realizes both parents can do this. Apparently I've been off work too long.
In any case, the recipe as written was essentially nothing like how my father makes them, which seems to be more by taste and feeling at the time, so I've tried to approximate what I think works:
Cabbage Rolls
In any case, the recipe as written was essentially nothing like how my father makes them, which seems to be more by taste and feeling at the time, so I've tried to approximate what I think works:
Cabbage Rolls
1 head green cabbage
¾ cup rice
1 lb ground beef
vegetable oil
2 medium onions, diced
several cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp salt, or to taste
several dashes Tabasco
2 tsp paprika
1-2 jars or cans tomato juice
Remove the first couple of dirty outer leaves from the cabbage. Whether to remove the core now or not is up for debate. We left it in. Greg, who was in charge of steaming cabbage leaves, would like to try coring in advance next time. Place whole cabbage in a large pot, add a few inches of water, cover and bring water to a boil. Monitor cabbage closely. As outer leaves soften enough to come loose, remove them one at a time to a large bowl. Leaves should be tender enough to fold, without being cooked through. Continue until all the large leaves have been harvested. There will be a small inner head of cabbage, which you can save and eat another time.
[If doubling or tripling recipe:
Meanwhile, cover rice with water and bring to a boil, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Drain.
If using single recipe, leave the rice raw.]
At the same time, heat a large skillet over medium and brown ground beef. Add a splash of oil and the diced onion. Let cook for a few minutes, then toss in chopped garlic and cook a few more minutes. When beef is cooked through, turn off heat and add rice, salt, pepper, paprika and Tabasco to taste.
When ready to assemble, pour enough tomato juice in the bottom of your pan(s) to cover, plus a bit. Working one cabbage leaf at a time, place enough filling in leaf to fill it about 1/3, so it is still easy enough to roll. Tuck in the thicker end of the cabbage leaf, roll up, and if the leaf is especially big, tuck in the ends. Place, seam side down, in baking dish. Repeat until your pan bottom is covered. Cover with more tomato juice. If your pan is deep enough for multiple layers, and you have enough leaves and filling remaining, add another layer. Repeat until you run out of filling. Cover with more juice, then cover with any remaining cabbage leaves.
Cover pan with tin foil and bake at 350°F for at least 1 hour, longer if using multiple layers of rolls, until cabbage is tender and rice is cooked through.
Makes approximately 11 cabbage rolls.
[If doubling or tripling recipe:
Meanwhile, cover rice with water and bring to a boil, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Drain.
If using single recipe, leave the rice raw.]
At the same time, heat a large skillet over medium and brown ground beef. Add a splash of oil and the diced onion. Let cook for a few minutes, then toss in chopped garlic and cook a few more minutes. When beef is cooked through, turn off heat and add rice, salt, pepper, paprika and Tabasco to taste.
When ready to assemble, pour enough tomato juice in the bottom of your pan(s) to cover, plus a bit. Working one cabbage leaf at a time, place enough filling in leaf to fill it about 1/3, so it is still easy enough to roll. Tuck in the thicker end of the cabbage leaf, roll up, and if the leaf is especially big, tuck in the ends. Place, seam side down, in baking dish. Repeat until your pan bottom is covered. Cover with more tomato juice. If your pan is deep enough for multiple layers, and you have enough leaves and filling remaining, add another layer. Repeat until you run out of filling. Cover with more juice, then cover with any remaining cabbage leaves.
Cover pan with tin foil and bake at 350°F for at least 1 hour, longer if using multiple layers of rolls, until cabbage is tender and rice is cooked through.
Makes approximately 11 cabbage rolls.
Serve topped with sour cream.
To make ahead: I can't comment on how they turned out yet, but I froze 4 cabbage rolls before baking, 2 to each small pan, with the tomoto juice under and over. Hoping they taste good when we bake them post-baby.
