Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

On Sunday afternoon, while the other half was handing out Halloween candy (yes, our city is one of the scared ones and only holds official trick-or-treat during safe daylight hours!), I was working on both a roasted chicken and stuffed cabbage.  I hadn't had stuffed cabbage in years (other than a few times eating the swill version that Lean Cuisine makes!)  

The recipe I used was pretty much self-created…with a little help from one of the cookbooks I inherited from my mother.  Not knowing exactly what I wanted to put inside the cabbage, other than the ground beef I had on hand, I looked to the good ol' American International Encyclopedic Cookbook (my version printed in 1972…long before I was a thought in this world!!!)  This cherished book is not all that used.  I do love to pull it out and read recipes and examine the newspaper recipe clippings that my mother peppered the book with. 

Hamburger Stuffing Poultry or Cabbage Leaves

American International Encyclopedic Cookbook, 1972

• 1/2 pound ground beef
  
• 2 T fat
  
• 1 t salt
  
• 1/4 t pepper
  
• 1/2 c finely chopped onion
  
• 1 c finely chopped celery
  
• 1/4 t poultry seasoning
  
• 2 slightly beaten eggs
  
• 1/4 c water
  
• 6 c bread cubes
  

1. Fry meat in hot fat in heavy skillet.  Add salt, pepper, onion, celery and poultry seasoning.  Continue cooking until onion is transparent.
   
2. Beat eggs and water.  Add egg mixture to bread cubes.
   
3. Stir in meat mixture.
   

To make the rest of the dish, I did the following:

Tomato Sauce

• 1 c finely diced carrot
• 1 c finely diced onion
• 1 c finely diced celery
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 c red wine
• 1 T cider vinegar
• 1 T sugar
• 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes

1. Saute carrots, onions, and celery in a medium-high skillet with olive oil.
2. Once onions are translucent, add garlic and saute until garlic is fragrant.
3. Add wine, vinegar and salt.  Boil for a few minutes.
4. Add crushed tomatoes and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

I assembled as follows:

1. Add a few spoonfuls of stuffing mix to wilted cabbage leaves.  (Boil cabbage leaves in salted water with 1 T cider vinegar until wilted.  Remove rib if too tough.) 
2. Fold over the sides of the cabbage leave towards the center.  Roll the leave so that none of the stuffing is exposed.
3. Place seam side down in a baking dish with a spoonful of the tomato sauce spread on the bottom.
4. Continue until all stuffing has been used.
5. Cover with remaining tomato sauce.
6. Bake at 350º for 25-35 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and stuffing has cooked through. 
    

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