Maw Maw’s Cabbage Rolls

Maw Maw's Cabbage Rolls

Recipe By: Alice Morrow

Ingredients

½ lb. ground pork
½ lb. ground beef
1 ½ c. long grain rice (can be parboiled, to reduce cooking time)
Olive oil
2 large onion, diced, divided into two equal parts (one for stuffing, one for sauce)
2 T. minced garlic, divided between stuffing and sauce
1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 c. chicken stock or broth
¼ c. apple cider vinegar
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 head of cabbage

Instructions

Place cabbage head in pot of salted hot water and bring to a boil. Cook until leaves tear away from center. People make the mistake of not seasoning cabbage as it boils. This is the only chance to season it. That is why sometimes it seems bland.
Drain the cabbage. Let cool and peel each cabbage leaf. Cut out the big rib of the cabbage leaf. Set aside until on paper towel to dry and ready to stuff.
To make sauce, in a skillet, heat about 4 T. of olive oil. Saute 1 c. onions, add garlic.
Then add tomatoes and stock. Simmer for 5 minutes, add vinegar and simmer until sauce thickens. Season to taste and set aside.
In another skillet, heat another 4 T. olive oil and sauté 1 c. of onions until wilted. Add garlic and cook another minute. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, combine the cooked onions, beef, pork, rice and seasonings. Mix well with your hands.
Take each cabbage leaf, rib side down place a large heaping spoon of the dressing mix on to the leaf, about ¼ c. depending on size of leaf. Roll up and secure with toothpick if necessary.
I like to place any leftover leaves in bottom of baking dish. Place rolls on top of that. You can stack them if necessary to fit.
Pour sauce over the rolls. Save some of the sauce to serve with the rolls later.
Cover with foil and bake until meat is done and tender. This takes about 1 ½ to 2 hours depending on size of rolls.
When serving, put sauce on side if people would like to put more sauce on it.

Notes

*****Freezes well. Makes about 12-15 rolls depending on size of cabbage head.