My dad is a huge fan of stuffed cabbage. My mother would make it occasionally, but she hates vegetables, so not very often!
My mother is not a great cook, so I did not remember the dish fondly. It was always dry and bland with chewy cabbage.
Blanching the cabbage first makes it so the cabbage isn’t chewy in the end. It is very soft though.
The ground beef mixture has a nice flavor. You get a little sweetness from the brown sugar, and a little tang from the vinegar.
I thought I had a jar of capers in the fridge, but when I went to make the dish I discovered it was not there anymore. So I omitted the capers and added a touch more salt to make up for their absence.
The stock moistens the meat throughout the cooking process, so it comes out in a nice and consistent doneness with none of the brick like feel of the rolls my mother made!
My only suggestion would be to cover the rolls with foil after 35 minutes or so. The tops of the cabbage were a little more browned than I would have like.
BAKED STUFFED CABBAGE LEAVES
8 Large Cabbage Leaves
1 Pound Ground Beef
3 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Onion
2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Parsley
3/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Thyme
1 Clove Garlic, Pressed
Dash Cayenne
2 Tablespoons Vinegar
3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Capers
1/2 Teaspoon Butter
1/2 Cup Boiling Stock
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Parboil cabbage leaves, drain and then dry the, on a towel. Combine beef, onions, parsley, salt, thyme, garlic and cayenne. Mix in vinegar, brown sugar and capers. Divide meat mixture into 8 parts. Put one part on each cabbage leaf. Roll the leaves, tucking in ends. Tie or secure with toothpicks. Place in a buttered baking dish. Dot each cabbage with butter. Pour in stock. Bake for 50 minutes.
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