Stuffed Cabbage Leaves
I come from a country where to expand your apartment, terraces have been glass-enclosed and converted to kitchens, walls are demolished to make the space as big as possible. This is the magic of the creative mind in a concrete matchstick building. Welcome to Bulgarian home cooking.
12 pieces
½ lbs ground pork
½ lbs ground veal
½ cup rice, rinsed
1 carrot, shredded finely
1 plum tomato, shredded finely
1/2 sweet onion, diced to small pieces
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, diced
2 tablespoons fresh dill, diced
Marinated cabbage leaves
3/4 tablespoon salt, or to taste
½ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
Heat I tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a sauté pan. Add the diced onion sauté for 2 minutes.
Add the rice and cook for 4-5 minutes, until translucent. Add the shredded carrots and tomatoes and cook for another 3 minutes, then add the ground meat with the rest of the herbs and seasonings. Cook it while stir it until get to a homogenous mixture and the meat is half cooked. Transfer it to a plate and let it cool.
Take the marinated cabbage leaves from the jar. Squeeze all the liquid from them and cut the little top stems if there are any.
Place one cabbage leaf with the shiny side down, veiny side up. Depending how big the leaf is, add one tablespoon of the rice mix at the bottom center. Roll the leaf once from bottom to top, then fold the sides and the roll it again.
Repeat the same with the rest of the ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 400F.
In a large size Dutch oven arrange the stuffed cabbage leaves very tightly and add cold water just enough to cover them. Cover it with a lit and cook it in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the rice is cooked. Once ready take the lid off and cook for another 10 minutes, just enough the top of the leaves to get medium gold-brown finish.
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