Cabbage Rolls

Brown about a pound of ground beef, 1 chopped onion. drain the fat off. Cook 2cups of rice according to pkg directions, I don't know what the cooked measurement is. Combine the rice and ground beef, salt and pepper to taste. set aside. Cut the core out of the cabbage, place core side down in a pot with a couple of inches of boiling water, cover and cook, turning now and then to soften the leaves. remove the leaves from the pot as they soften. You don't want them to get too soft , just good and flexible. Place them in a bowl of cold water.

14-16 leaves should be enough for the amount of filling, depending on how big you make the rolls.

Now take a leaf, place it cup side down on the cutting board and trim the 'spine' if the leaf so it is thinner and more flexible. Flip the leaf over (cup side up) and place about 1/2 cup-3/4 cup of filling in the leaf. With the 'base' of the leaf towards you, fold the sides over the filling slightly and then roll the leaf away from you. you should end up with a tidy little package.
Continue doing this until you have used all the filling.
Place the rolls in a large baking pan or roaster, pour tomato juice to almost cover them and bake in a 325 oven for about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes.

To make halobchi (sp) do the same thing, only use the smaller leaves, and fill with plain rice.

Some people add cooked bacon rather than the ground beef.

I find that the regular long grain rice works best as it tends to get kind of sticky and holds together well.


If this gets too frustrating to put together , or if you are in a hurry, then try

Lazy Cabbage rolls-

Make the filling, cut the cabbage in strips and steam. Arrange in layers in a casserole dish adding tomato juice as you go. top with cabbage and tomato juice. bake 325 for 30-45 min.

Caroline