Cabbage Rolls in Tomato Sauce
Growing up, there was never a Christmas, Easter, or Thanksgiving, when my mother didn’t have a huge bowl of Cabbage Rolls on the dinner table. The aroma and taste of this dish still floods me with sweet childhood memories.
For a smaller quantity that serves 4:1 medium head of cabbage
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ large onion, diced
1 small yellow chili pepper diced
1 cup of long grain white rice
½ pound ground pork
½ pound ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 medium cans of Campbell's condensed tomato soup
2 cans of water
Tomato juice (optional)
Pour boiling water over the rice and let it stand while preparing the cabbage.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare the cabbage.
Remove any spoiled outer leaves. Cut around the core. Blanch the cabbage just enough to soften the leaves. Using two forks continue to gently remove the outer leaves as soon as they become pliable and set them aside to cool. Be careful not to overcook the leaves. As the leaves cool pare down the center ridge.
In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, warm the oil until hot but not smoking. Saute diced onion and yellow pepper until soft.
In a bowl mix the pork, beef, drained rice, onions, salt and pepper.
Form a cylinder shape with an egg-sized portion of the meat mixture and place it on the thickest part of the cabbage leaf. Roll the meat in the cabbage and then use your finger to tuck the extra cabbage into the ends of the roll. This secures the roll to hold its shape.
Arrange the rolls in a large heavy saucepan and add 2 cans tomato soup and 2 cans of water.
Cover. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a gentle boil for 60 minutes. Check periodically adding water or tomato juice if the sauce is too diminished. Taste to ensure the rice is cooked. Continue cooking another 10 - 15 minutes if the rice is still hard.
Serve cabbage rolls with sauce.
I love a cucumber salad and pickled beets with this dish.
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