Making Sour Cabbage Rolls: Photo Essay

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Here are the sour cabbage rolls just before going into the oven. Please note I’m using an enamel Dutch oven.

This is a reprint of a July 12, 2010 post called Traditional Sour Cabbage Rolls. I have included pictures of how to make the cabbage rolls plus a few new tips.

At this time of year, I?m cleaning out my freezers for the summer months. I am always looking for recipes to use up frozen tomatoes, ground meats, organs and bones.

Sour Cabbage Rolls are a great food for cold winter days or even rainy summer weather. This recipe does not use brown rice so is safe for people on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. If you would like, add 1/2c of raw brown rice to the recipe or 1/2c walnuts to give the dish a grainier texture. Note the optional organ meats. Try adding the organ meats to casserole type meals and see if anyone notices the change. Joette Calabrese, in Secret Spoonfuls: Confessions of a Sneaky Mom, recommends adding organ meats to increase the nutrient content of a meal.

Rolls?
1 head of sour cabbage
2lbs ground pastured beef
1lb ground pastured pork
1/2lb ground organ meats (optional)
1/2c walnuts, finely ground (optional)
2c finely chopped onions
4-6 cloves of garlic,?minced
1T paprika
1tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Sauce
3-4 frozen garden tomatoes, skins removed
2-3c bone broth, enough to cover cabbage rolls

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Cut the leaf in half and remove the large central vein in the middle with a knife. Chop the central vein into thin strips and place them at the bottom of the Dutch oven.

You can make your own sour cabbage, if you have time, or buy Kissel Cabbage from a store. Carefully peel the cabbage leaves off the head. You will need to cut through the heavy vein at the base of the stem to get the leaves off. After removing the leaves, cut the leaf in half and remove the large central vein in the middle with a knife. This vein gets in the way of forming the cabbage roll.

Use about 2-3 tablespoons of the raw meat filling and form into a oval shape. I find it easier to roll out all the meat balls before starting to make the cabbage rolls. This also tells me how many leaves I need to cut in two.

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After all the meat balls are made and all the leaves cut into two, lay out one half of a leaf with the stem side towards you.

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Place the meat ball on the edge of the half leaf and roll away from yourself towards the thin edge of the leaf.

Place the filling on the half leaf and start rolling from the vein end towards the edge of the leaf. Tuck in each end to close the roll. Do not over stuff the cabbage roll.

The rolls should be placed one at a time into a large Dutch Oven with the seam side down. (If you have an enamel Dutch Oven this is the time to use it, due to the acids in the tomatoes and sour cabbage.)

Make two or three layers of rolls for the best results. Top each layer with one or two hand crushed tomatoes. Pour as much bone broth as needed to completely cover the cabbage rolls. Bake uncovered at 300?F for two hours. The cabbage rolls taste even better the next day after the flavors meld together.

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Pick up the roll and tuck-in the central vein side first. This is the hardest part.

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Tuck-in the leaf edge side. Usually one poke with a finger will do the trick.

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Here is the finished cabbage roll ready to be placed in the Dutch oven.

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I cut up the central veins into thin pieces and place them at the bottom of the Dutch oven. The cabbage rolls are arranged on top. Once all the rolls are placed, I cover the rolls with the liquid.

Traditional Sour Cabbage Rolls

At this time of year, I’m cleaning out my freezers for the summer months. I am always looking for recipes to use up frozen tomatoes, ground meats, organs and bones. Traditional Sour Cabbage Rolls are a great food for cold winter days or even rainy summer weather like today. This recipe does not use brown rice so is safe for people on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. If you would like, add 1/2c of raw brown rice to the recipe. Note the optional organ meats. Try adding the organs meats to casserole type meals and see if anyone notices the change. Joette Calabrese in Secret Spoonfuls: Confessions of a Sneaky Mom, recommends adding organ meats to increase the nutrient content of a meal.

Rolls
1 head of sour cabbage
2lbs. ground pastured beef
1lb. ground pastured pork
1/2lb. ground organ meats (optional)
2c finely chopped onions
3-4 minced cloves of garlic
1T paprika
1tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Sauce
3-4 frozen garden tomatoes, skins removed
2-3c bone broth
You can make your own sour cabbage, if you have time, or buy it from a store. Carefully peel the cabbage leaves off the head. You will need to cut through the heavy vein at the base of the stem to get the leaves off. After removing the leaves, cut the leaf in half and remove the large central vein in the middle with a knife. This vein gets in the way of forming the cabbage roll. Use about 2-3 tablespoons of the raw meat filling and form into a oval shape. Place the filling on the half leaf and start rolling from the vein end towards the edge of the leaf. Tuck in each end to close the roll. Do not over stuff the cabbage roll. The rolls should be placed one at a time into a large Dutch Oven with the seam side down. (If you have an enamel Dutch Oven this is the time to use it, due to the acids in the tomatoes and sour cabbage.) Make two or three layers of rolls for the best results. Top each layer with one or two hand crushed tomatoes. Pour as much bone broth as needed to completely cover the cabbage rolls. Bake uncovered at 300F for two hours. The cabbage rolls taste even better the next day after the flavors meld together.