Tasty Homemade Cabbage Rolls

ready for the oven

...and YES, you CAN freeze them!  In fact, you can also freeze any leftover cabbage too - just be prepared, fermented cabbage does have a strong smell, even in the freezer and even in a heavy, freeze-grade zippered bag.

​Just sayin' !!

Here's how it goes. I can't leave anything alone. As-is, where-is? Not so much. I have had cabbage rolls, and I found them satisfying but still bland. Call it sacrilegious, but that's the point where I pull out the hot sauce, or chilli sauce-relish. However, with this recipe, I don't need to do that.

---

All the flavour is right there. It's not spicy; it's tasty. Not to mention, the sour cabbage is easier to digest and very good for you!

So here it is:

Here are the meats that I use. You can almost taste them already!

Removing the sausage casings is easier if the sausages are slightly frozen, then you can leave them defrost for a few minutes to make it less work in blending the meats evenly.

The scourge cabbage can be found has a whole head in the produce section of your grocery store.

You just never noticed!
Rinse and leave in the colander while you prep the rest.

The onions fry until they become translucent. Slow and steady makes for a nice, sweet and soft textured onion.
​

Here we have the meat, the rice, onion, dill, everything!! Mmmmm!
​

I drizzle a little of the leftover brine on the bottom of a lidded pot with a thick base that is oven safe.
Roll them up tight and place them snugly, one layer at a time.

​When rolling, some of the bigger leaves are good for 2 large rolls. The spine can be heavier and thicker on these as well; so I cut it out entirely.

If your sauce doesn't cover them, just add water on top. It will get integrated while cooking and your cabbage rolls will expand and absorb the moisture (that's how the rice cooks!)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 sour head of cabbage
• 450g pound beef (ground)
• 908g pounds of Italian sausage (uncooked, remove casings)
• 1 large onion (chopped medium fine)
• 1/2 cup white rice (uncooked)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 750ml tomato sauce (plain or garlic & herb)
• 250ml water (or more)
• fresh dill
• salt & pepper

Prep time: 30-45 min.
Cook time: 4 hours
Preheat often 375˚F

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Remove about half the leaves of cabbage from the sour head, place in a colander & rinse. Leave draining in the sink.
2. Chop onions and slowly fry them in butter on a warm pan (medium heat) until they become translucent).
3. Remove sausages from their casings. (This is easier to do if you put them in the freezer for about 30 minutes beforehand.)
4. Blend the meat nicely together with salt & pepper.
5. Chop (finely) about 1/3 cup fresh dill, blend with the meat mixture.
6. Add the rice to the onions and reduce heat to lowest setting for 1-2 minutes.
7. Then add the onions, rice, butter from the pan, to the meat mixture. Mix well. It’s best to use your hands.
8. Time to roll! Take the whole cabbage leaf, and cut off the harder spine, leaving you with 2 very flexible halves. When you cut out the spine, it’ll probably be about 1inch wide at the base, tapering up to nothing. (You’re cutting out a very long, skinny triangle).
9. Take about 2 tbsp of meat mixture (like 2 meatball's worth) and squeeze it into a short sausage shape. 
10. Place the meat in the lower, thicker part of the leaf. As you roll up, fold the sides in, until the natural curve of the leaf seals the roll.
11. Pour some of the brine in the bottom of an oven safe pot, just to moisten it. (I use one with a thick bottom).
12. Place the roll with the open edge down and up against the side, so as to keep it from opening.
13. Keep rolling the cabbage leaves around the meat and lay the rolls somewhat snugly in concentric circles, you may need to do 2 or more rows.
14. Once you have finished packing the pot with cabbage rolls, add the water to the tomato sauce, and blend nicely. Pour over the cabbage rolls in the pot, slowly to it fills up all the corners. If the rolls aren’t covered, add more water.
15. Cover the pot (preferable with an oven safe lid).
16. Cook for 2 hours, then uncover and cook for 2 more hours. If too much water has evaporated at the halfway point, add more water.
17. After a total of 4 hours cook time, remove from oven and allow to cool off for about 30 minutes.
18. Serve with mashed or roasted potatoes, with a little dollop of sour cream.
19. Save remaining cabbage leaves by sealing them in a large zippered freezer bag. Defrost in the fridge, the day before you want to use them. You can chop them up and add to stews, crock pot meats, or make another batch of cabbage rolls!

Enjoy!!  They're so tasty, you won't go back to the bland ones ever again!