My mother always made it on top of the stove but some people prefer baking in the oven. I like it both ways. The meat is a little more tender if baked in the oven. Also, the less beef used, the more tender the roll. Good luck!
Ingredients
- 1 medium head cabbage
- 3 lbs. ground beef,veal,pork mixture(sometimes I use all ground pork from the tenderloin)
- 1/2 cup Uncle Ben's rice
- 1 egg
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 4 cloves crushed garlic
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 Tblsp. paprika
- 1 large can tomato sauce
- 1 large jar Vlasic sauerkraut
- 1 small piece of jowl bacon for seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2-3 quarts water
Directions
Core head of cabbage and boil in large pot until cabbage becomes soft in the middle of core. Do not over cook or cabbage will fall apart when wrapping. When cooled separate leaves and slice off some of the thick vein. Set aside.
Fry bacon, remove when crisp. Keep grease in fry pan. Add chopped onion and garlic. Cook in grease until tender but not brown. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine meat, egg, rice, salt, pepper, paprika. Mix ingredients together, add cooked onion/garlic mixture, grease and all. Mix until mixture becomes a little sticky.
Rinse sauerkraut in a colandar, squeeze excess water out. Sprinkle kraut on a bottom of a 6 qt pot, add the jowl bacon for flavoring only.
Assembling cabbage rolls:
Place cabbage leaf in left palm, place a small handful of meat mixture in right hand (about the size of a large meatball) Press down on cabbage leaf. Lay one end of leaf over meat and roll up then secure other end of leaf pushing into the meat. Lay seam side down on top of sauerkraut. Continue until all the cabbage and meat is used up. Cover cabbage rolls with water. Add one can tomato sauce to give it color. Sprinkle with garlic powder and paprika if so desired.
Cook on top of stove for about 3-4 hours or longer to acquire a better flavor
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Submitted 6/13/05.
Source: An old family recipe
Submitted By: Hildy Brown
habrown7@msn.com
Hungarian Cabbage Rolls