This is a classic Hungarian recipe, Töltött Káposzta ( and don't ask me how to pronounce that!), even though stuffed cabbage rolls appear over much of northern and central Europe. The paprika and the caraway seeds really make a difference.
Ingredients:
250-300 gms minced beef, minced pork, or a combination of the two.
16-18 cabbage leaves
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 slices of bacon
Olive oil for frying
150-200 gms cooked rice
3 tsps paprika
salt & pepper to taste
300 mls (about1 small can) tomato juice
100 gms sauerkraut
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 raw potato (if needed)
Method :
Ingredients:
250-300 gms minced beef, minced pork, or a combination of the two.
16-18 cabbage leaves
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 slices of bacon
Olive oil for frying
150-200 gms cooked rice
3 tsps paprika
salt & pepper to taste
300 mls (about1 small can) tomato juice
100 gms sauerkraut
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 raw potato (if needed)
Method :
- Remove 16-18 cabbage leaves from a large cabbage and boil for about 25-30 minutes, until the leaves are soft. Remove and drain.
- Heat the oil in a frying pan/skillet and gently fry the onion. Chop the bacon small and add after about 5 minutes. Remove when the onion begins to brown. Separate 2/3rds of the onion mixture for the meat, and 1/3rd for the sauce.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the meat, 2/3rds of the onion mixture, the cooked rice, 2 tsps paprika, salt and pepper . Mix together well, and then form into golf ball size. Set aside.
- Place a whole cabbage leaf in front of you, stalk closest. If you think the central veins are too thick to roll, then trim them; nothing wasted here, because the veins are add to the final dish.
- Place a meatball on the cabbage leaf, about 1/3rd in, and roll the cabbage tightly over the meat. Tuck in the sides of the cabbage as you go (like a spring roll) and then put the roll, seam side down , on a plate. Do all the leaves like this, until you have finished with the meat. Any left over leaves; just chop them up.
- Line a large pan (or pyrex oven dish) with the sauerkraut. Add the left over chopped cabbage and veins on top.
- Place the cabbage rolls on top of the sauerkraut/cabbage. Pack them tight, like sardines. If there's a space left over, just add a couple of large pieces of potato. This is to avoid the rolls untangling during the cooking process.
- Add the 1/3rd onion mixture, the additional tsp of paprika and the caraway seeds to the tomato juice. Mix together and taste - if it needs a bit more salt, then add some.
- Pour the tomato juice over the rolls, then either bake at 350F, for about 1 hr 10 minutes, or cook on the stovetop at medium low heat.
- Serve with rice, potatoes or, as I understand the Hungarians do, with crusty bread.
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