🙂 As a Transylvanian born , cabbage roll speak my language , it is not Christmas without them 🙂
First thing is for me to choose the leaves i’ll be using and i often love to mix and match them in the pot ; best are pickled green cabbage leaves then Savoy cabbage for a sweeter taste , collard greens and too grape leaves but those cooked by themselves being so small . The pickled leaves should be run under cold water to remove some of their saltiness and funk . Savoy cabbage and collard greens need to be blanched in boiling water to soften up .
The stuffing : get a ground meats mixture combining 1/2 amount beef , 1/4 veal and 1/4 pork sausage ( it’s ok to remove casings from prepared pork sausages as mild Italian …) ; to this I add some smoked meat , either smoked pork hawk ( skin and fat off ) or smoked turkey tigh or Kolbasa sausage . The smoked pieces it’s easy to crash on ” pulse ” in the food processor ( or minced well by hand ) .
In a large bowl mix all the meats well together and first add a good cup of parboiled rice ( i usually opt for not much rice ) ; then in the food processor pulse red onion or Vidalia onion , peeled & deseeded ripe tomatoes , garlic , flat leaf parsley , red/yellow sweet peppers and add it all to the meat mixture ; chop green onions , fresh dill ; then add 2 or 3 beaten eggs , 2 oz. olive oil , a good splash of chicken stock ( low salt ) , add s/p , Vegeta , rubbed summer savory ; mix all well together .
Start stuffing the leaves and arrange them nicely over a base of savory dry branches , sauerkraut ( squeeze out the brine ) , chopped dill and a pinch of Vegeta seasoning ; add a small smoked pork hawk score cut somewhere in the middle among the rolls , it will give an amazing flavor ; top the layers with a small more sprinkle of sauerkraut and dill and finally add a cup of chicken stock and water to cover well all the rolls ; one more sprinkle of s/p and a few cubes of butter ; use some cabbage leaves to fold over covering the rolls .
Get cabbage rolls to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer , low heat ; enjoy with a side of cheesy polenta or grits 🙂