CABBAGE ROLLS

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven 350° Boil enough water to cover whole cabbage
• 2. Core cabbage and boil 15 minutes
• 3. Heat skillet with butter or oil and cook onions and garlic for 3-5 minutes or until browned. Set aside
• 4. Place ground meet in bowl add spices, onions, tomato puree and uncooked rice. Mix well!! SPices. This is up to you. Mexican flavor chili powder and cummin .. Mediterranean basil and oregano .. Or sage thyme and rosemerry. The meat can be anything ground. Beef .. Pork.. Chicken.turkey.. Whatever ya have on hand. Be creative !
• 5. Remove cabbage .. It will be heavy and hot be careful! Place in pan cored side up let it cool a bit and then carefully peal leaves off one at a time try not to tear .. Lay the pretty ones in a pile and lay the not so pretty on the other side. You will still use those. You will need about 14- 16 good leaves.. A couple will be a bit larger but that's ok.
• 6. If not using mushrooms chop up enough to make one cup of chopped cabbage and add chopped cabbage to the meat mixture Make sure to have enough leaves to cover the rolls in your cooking dish. This is where I use the torn bigger ugly leaves
• 7. Take a pretty leaf and use a sharp knife and trim flat the rib on the bottom of the leaf. Just skim it flat as to make the leaf more pliable when rolling. Just the thickest part of the rib at the bottom of the leaf
• 8. Take the trimmed leaf and place a good spoonful of meat mixture in the leaf by the bottom trimmed part ..I use hands and mold as I go . Roll it over and tuck the sides in and roll completely. Place seam side down in baking dish. The rolling is like the rolling of a burrito
• 9. Place all rolls into dish Mix the tomato and other liquid 1 cup total. You don't have to use tomato it can really be 1 c. of any Liquid Pour over rolls Take your torn leaf pile and lay over rolls covering them ... cover with foil and bake 1 1/2 hours.
• 10. Let rest at least 45 minutes .. The longer the better so they can soak up the liquids. Over night is great.
• 11. if serving that same day..I allow to rest about 2 hours peel of the covering leaves and then place under broiler to lightly brown them. And serve them topped with a small dad of sour cream .. Next day.. A little butter or oil in skillet and lightly brown each side and top with sour cream. The cabbage that covers the rolls you can be eaten as