Bob's Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Polish Golabki)

courtesy Bob Holden

Ingredients - Stuffing:
1 – large head white cabbage
1 - pound ground beef
1 - pound ground pork
2 cups steamed white rice (leftovers work great)
1 – small, or ½ large onion, finely diced
3-4 Cloves garlic minced
2 – Raw eggs
¼ Cup minced flat leaf parsley
1 tsp Italian seasoning
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp fresh ground pepper

Ingredients - Tomato Sauce:
1 - can tomato sauce
2 - cans water (rinsing remaining tomato sauce in can)
3 - Tbs white flour (mixed in 1/3 cup cold water)
½ - Cup sour cream
2 – Tbs Veggetta (or vegetable, beef or chicken bouillon)
½ - Tbs garlic powder
1 – Tbs dehydrated onion flakes
1 – Tbs sugar (needed only if sauce is too tart)
3 to 4 – dashes of Tabasco Sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Core cabbage, remove tough outer leaves, and boil covered for about 20 minutes or until just soft and pliable. Shock in ice water to stop cooking and let cool. Drain well, dry, remove leaves and stack on a plate.

Stuffing:
To the ground meat add steamed rice, diced onion, minced garlic, raw egg, minced parsley, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Mix with hands until well blended. Flatten cabbage leaves on a clean plate and fill each with ½ cup each of the mix (or the appropriate amount for the size leaf being filled). Roll up the two sides and from one end roll to the other making a complete roll. Place rolls on a cookie sheet pre-greased with olive oil or butter. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour until the meat is cooked. Let stand in the oven an additional 15 minutes before removing.

Sauce:
In a 3 ½ to 4 quart sauce pan add one can of tomato sauce, two cans of water, and bring to a boil. In a mixing bowl, or glass, add 3 heaping Tbs flour and mix well. Add slowly to boiling tomato sauce and blend with a wire whip until slightly thickened. Ad Vegetta (or bouillon), garlic powder, and onion. Bring to a boil and turn down to simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes reducing sauce. Add sour cream and mix well. Add sugar, salt, pepper and Tabasco to taste. In a large covered casserole dish add enough sauce to cover the bottom. Transfer rolls to the dish covering each roll with sauce and serve. Extra sauce should be placed in a gravy boat and served over rolls.