Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipe - Try This Old-World Favorite From Germany

This recipe for cabbage rolls was first brought to Texas by the German settlers in the 1800's. It takes about 1/2 hour to prepare the cabbage rolls for cooking, and about 2 1/2 hours for the total preparation time. Make sure and choose the biggest cabbage head you can find, in order to get at least 12 good cabbage leaves to stuff with filling. Any unused cabbage can be steamed or fried the next day or two.

Ingredients:

12 large cabbage leaves
1 pound ground beef
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 cup cooked rice
1 small onion, minced
1 egg
1 tablespoon brown sugar
juice of half a lemon
1/4 cup water
2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Cooking string, or toothpicks for holding cabbage rolls together

Directions:

Core the cabbage, then place the rest of the cabbage head in a large pot with the core end up. Pour about 3 cups of boiling water over it. The leaves will begin to loosen. Carefully peel off as many leaves as you can, then pour more boiling water in the pot to release more leaves. Keep doing this until all 12 leaves have been removed from the head. The leaves may still be a little stiff, but if so, pour some boiling water over them to make them a little more pliable and limp.

Cut out the middle veins in the larger cabbage leaves. Set the leaves aside, and start putting together the filling. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, salt, pepper, rice, onion, egg, and the thyme, and mix well (mixing with your hands is best). Set mixture aside.

Now make the sauce by mixing together the brown sugar, lemon juice, water, 1/4 cup water, and the tomato sauce in a separate, smaller bowl. Set this mixture aside.

Start bundling the cabbage rolls. Place two heaping tablespoons of the meat mixture on each cabbage leaf near the vein of the leaf. Fold the end over the filling, then fold over the ends like an envelope. Roll the rest of the leaf as tight as possible, then fasten by tying a piece of string around roll, or hold together with toothpick through the middle.

Heat oil in a 10-inch skillet, then evenly brown half of the cabbage rolls at a time. After all rolls are browned, place all 12 in the skillet, then pour the sauce over them. Cover and simmer over low heat for about one hour, basting the rolls occasionally.

Remove the rolls to a hot serving tray, and remove the strings or toothpicks. Look at the sauce, and if it of the thickness of ketchup, then it is good. If it looks too thin, then simmer it down until it is the right consistency. Pour the sauce over the cabbage rolls and serve.