Also on that same legal pad was this recipe. I remember my Mom made a great stuffed cabbage and a few years ago I decided to create one of my own. I use pork instead of beef and I add a few other ingredients to give it a smooth flavor, I hope you all enjoy this.
Stuffed Cabbage
Ingredients
1 large savoy cabbage
1 LB of lean ground pork
1/2 LB bacon, sliced into 1-inch slices
2 cups of mushrooms of choice, chopped
2 15 oz cans of diced tomatoes
1 can of tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup cooked rice of choice, I used brown
1/2 cup of minced carrots
8 oz Mousse Truffle
8 oz of prosciutto
2 medium onions, minced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red pepper, minced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon of fresh chopped dill
2 teaspoons of fresh chopped parley
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Place a large soup pot filled with enough salted water to cover the cabbage head, on med-high heat and bring to a boil. Before adding the cabbage, remove the outer leaves and core the cabbage stem. Boil the cabbage for about 5 minutes or until the leaves separate easily. Then remove head and place in colander stem side down to drain and cool.
In large skillet render off the bacon, remove the crisp bacon, reduce heat and add the 1/2 of the onions, saute until soft. Remove from heat, drain off excess fat and add half the garlic, thyme, dill and parsley, stir to combine. Then let stand for about 5 minutes to cool.
Once cool next add the ground pork, Mousse Truffle, rice, and egg, using your hands to combine, then set aside.
Now remove the leaves from the cabbage, patting dry as you go. Next cut a V at the stem end of the leaf.
Placing the leaf on a cutting board with the V towards you, now place a slice of prosciutto on the leaf, followed by a scoop of the pork mixture. Now fold the sides in on the mixture, then roll up the cabbage moving away from you, then to close use a tooth pick to secure. Repeat until the pork mixture is gone. Set cabbage aside as you make the sauce.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
In a large deep dutch oven over medium heat place olive oil, carrots, red peppers, mushrooms, and balance of the onions and garlic and saute until tender. Now add the balance of the ingredients, bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer for 15 minutes. Now arrange the stuffed cabbage in the dutch oven, cook on the stove for 5 minutes, then cover and place in the oven and bake about 90 minutes, basting about every 15 to 20 minutes. Once the cabbage is tender it is done.
Enjoy Cooking