Cabbage Rolls

I had no idea what I was going to make for dinner until I got into the grocery store and started looking for ideas.   I found a beautiful big savoy cabbage which is my favourite cabbage for making cabbage rolls. The only other ingredient I needed to pick up was lean ground pork.

My favourite cabbage rolls are filled with rice and pork, seasoned with onions, garlic, parsley and rosemary or thyme.   And, I like them  baked in chicken broth with tomatoes, onions and garlic.  I don't like them in a thick tomato or ketchup sauce.

Normally I would have made something like mashed potatoes and another vegetable to serve with them, but Moe was happy with just the cabbage rolls served with a little sour cream on the side.

Cabbage Rolls
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1 large Savoy cabbage
large pot of boiling water
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, peeled and sliced
extra garlic cloves
2 cups hot chicken stock
1 can chopped tomatoes

For the Stuffing

1 onion chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons butter or margarine or olive oil
1-1/4 pound ground pork (can use Beef or veal)
2 cloves minced garlic
rosemary and thyme to taste
3/4 cup to 1 cup of raw rice, Cooked until almost tender.



Bring some water to boil in a large pot. Add the cabbage and steam for 10 minutes to soften leaves.

Remove leaves and return cabbage to pot if needed. Continue removing leaves.

Saute onion until soft and add chopped garlic, and parsley.

Mix the ground pork with the rice, onions, garlic and parsley,, season with salt and pepper and herbs.

Fry a small piece to test for seasoning. Adjust seasoning if needed..

Cut onions into slices and place in bottom om covered roasting pan. Add some cracked garlic cloves.

Add 2 cups of chicken broth and one can of tomatoes coarsely chopped.

Place cabbage rolls on top of onion mixture and cover tightly. I cover with foil and then the lid.

Bake in oven until cooked approximately 1 1/2 hours at 350° to 375°.

Serve with some of the juices from the pan and some sour cream.


Option for Greek Cabbage Rolls

Replace rosemary and thyme with  with fresh chopped dill and lemon zest
to taste.

Cook in chicken broth.  Add three or four garlic cloves to the pan.
Cover cabbage rolls and bake until tender.

Serve with an Avgolemono sauce. Add some fresh chopped dill to the
sauce just before serving.