Cabbage Rolls

I like to cook things the long way, and in my decade of diligent baking and cooking, I've learned that some short cuts are ok, but most of the time it pays to take the little extra step and make something from scratch. I had a very trying day recently, and when a good jog didn't cure me of my enui I decided I ought to bake some cabbage rolls, something I hadn't attempted for a while.  They are a putsy dish, but just the ticket for a frustrated baker who needed to spend some time studying a recipe and figuring out just the right tweaks to make it a great recipe worth sharing. First of all I'll say the aroma of cabbage rolls in the kitchen trumps freshly baked bread and cookies to this time of year. And the results were just delicious!

Cabbage Rolls

-1 large head green cabbage
-1 pound ground beef

-1 pound ground pork
-2 eggs
-1 medium onion, minced
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-2 teaspoons salt
1- teaspoon black pepper
-½ cup raw long-grain white rice
-1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Sauce:

-2 tablespoons butter 

-1 clove garlic, chopped

-2 medium onion, one for meat filling, one for sauce; chopped 

-2 15-ounce cans tomato sauce 

-1 T. lemon juice

-1/2 cup brown sugar

-Salt and pepper to taste

-1/4 cup parsley 

Directions:

Core cabbage and blanch leaves in boiling water, 1 minute. Mix meat with eggs, garlic, onion, parsley, salt and pepper. Meanwhile, melt butter over medium heat in medium sauce pan. Saute' second onion until cooked, then Add the tomato sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, salt and pepper to taste, and stir to combine. Increase the heat until it comes to a boil, then lower it and simmer for 5 minutes In 9x13 baking pan spoon 1/4 cup balls of meat mixture into one cabbage leaf and fold around like a burrito wrapper. Place in baking pan and drizzle with tomato sauce. Bake covered in aluminum foil 1 hour 45 minutes. last 15 minutes sprinkle cheese on top. Serves 10.

Like I said, these are a wee-bit putsy. But the end result is absolutely delicious, and I deeply regretted wishing I'd stopped at Papa Murphy's on my way home instead of making these gems. A delicious and rich meat and rice texture inside a divine caramelized cabbage and tomato sauce, this is definite must on our winter menu. ( And everyone at work was sniffing in envy at my leftovers!) Enjoy!