Holidays
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
1 large head of cabbage
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound lean ground pork
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped green bell pepper
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
Salt and cayenne pepper, to taste
Pinch allspice
4 12-ounce cans tomato sauce
24 ounces water, as measured in the tomato sauce cans
Sugar, to taste
Directions
Boil cabbage in plain water until slightly tender. Drain well and let cool. Set aside.
Combine the uncooked rice, beef, pork, garlic, onion and bell pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add tomato paste and mix well to incorporate. Season with salt, cayenne pepper and allspice. Set aside.
Gently separate cooked cabbage leaves, being careful not to tear them. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the rice and meat mixture into each cabbage leaf. Gently roll them up snugly but not too tightly. Tuck the ends of the cabbage leaves under to help prevent filling from falling out.
Place one layer of stuffed cabbage rolls in a large roasting pan, then cover the layer with half of the sauce. Sprinkle it with a bit of salt, cayenne and sugar. Make another layer of rolls directly on top of the first layer, then pour the remaining sauce over it. Again, sprinkle lightly with a bit of salt, cayenne and sugar.
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Pour the water from the tomato sauce cans into the pan. Cover the pan with foil and cook in preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until rice has become tender. Baste occasionally during cooking with pan juices.
