Ingredients
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2 heads cabbage
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3 slices white bread
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1/3 cup red wine
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1 lb ground chuck
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1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
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1 cup cooked rice
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1/4 cup tomato juice
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1 teaspoon salt
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1/2 teaspoon black pepper
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2 cups stewed tomatoes
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1/2 cup tomato puree
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1 cup water
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1/2 cup brown sugar
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1 lemon, juice of
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6 gingersnap cookies
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1/2 cup golden raisin
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1 egg, beaten
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1 celery rib, finely chopped
Instructions
- Core cabbage and blanch in a large pot of boiling water until leaves begin to loosen.
- Soak bread in red wine.
- Combine ground chuck, onion, celery and egg; mix in wet bread (bare hands are the best tools for this.
- Add tomato juice, rice, salt and pepper.
- Carefully peel off cabbage leaves and roll each around 1 to 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture, tucking in the sides to hold it together.
- Repeat until all the beef is wrapped. There should be 18 to 20 packets.
- Chop remaining cabbage leaves and reserve 4 cups.
- Prepare sauce: In a large stock pot heat stewed tomatoes, puree, water, brown sugar and lemon juice. Crumble gingersnaps and stir into mixture.
- Stir in raisins and chopped cabbage leaves. (Taste at this point and add more salt and pepper if necessary).
- Carefully add stuffed cabbage packets to sauce.
- Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Check occasionally and add 1/4 to 1/2 cup tomato juice to sauce if it seems to be drying out.