Stuffed cabbage

Ingredients

• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
• 1 egg
• olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of parsley (dry or fresh)
• olive oil
• sea salt or kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 pound of ground pork (beef or chicken work also)
• 2 cups of tomato sauce (I add a teaspoon of honey to sweeten the sauce)
• 1 small head of cauliflower, steamed and chopped (if you prefer, use rice or another grain, or just leave it out)
• 1 head of cabbage
• 2 cups of sauerkraut

Preparing the cabbage and cauliflower

1. Cut the center core out of the cabbage, taking care not to cut the leaves.
2. Steam or boil (steaming is easier and there’s less water) the cabbage head until the leaves are soft enough to roll easily (they will be somewhat translucent).
3. Transfer the head to a bowl of cool water and let the leaves cool. Once they are cool, you can separate each leaf so that you are ready to roll the stuffing in them.
4. Use this same pot to steam or boil the cauliflower until it is somewhat tender to a fork. Cool it and chop it into small pieces.

Preparing the stuffing

1. Saute the garlic, onions and parsley in some olive oil until the onions are soft (about 10 minutes).
2. Add 1 cup of tomato sauce to the pan, heat for a few minutes and then turn off the heat.
3. In a large bowl, combine the meat, egg, cauliflower and the onion tomato mixture and blend well. Add the desired amount of salt and pepper (at least 1/2 teaspoon of salt).
4. In a large saucepan, place rest of the tomato sauce and sauerkraut on the bottom.
5. Add a large soup spoonful of the meat mixture to each cabbage leaf, rolling it from the thickest part to the thinnest and tucking the corners under. Place each cabbage wrap in the large saucepan on top of the sauerkraut.
6. Cover the saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer the stuffed cabbage for about 1 hour or so.
7. Enjoy the first batch and all the reheated batches. I haven’t tried to freeze them, but let me know if you do.