1 large green cabbage, enough for 6 to 8 large leaves
2 cups of your favorite sauerkraut
1 cup tomato juice
5 smoked bacon slices (optional)
½ pound ground pork shoulder (Boston butt)
½ pound ground beef
½ tablespoon sweet, smoked, or hot paprika
1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, finely grated
¼ cup grated white onion
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons uncooked white rice
Kosher salt
Grapeseed or other neutral oil
Passo a passo
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
You’ll need 6 to 8 nice large leaves to make these rolls. Gently peel off the outer leaves of the cabbage, then steam these over a pot of boiling water until pliable, roughly 15 minutes. Lay them out on a kitchen towel to cool and dry.
Chop up the remaining cabbage (up to ½ head) into medium chunks.
In a large bowl, mix together with your hands the pork, beef, paprika, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, coriander, black pepper, garlic, onion, and rice, adding a generous sprinkling of salt.
Shape a very small patty of the mixture and, in a hot small frying pan lightly coated with oil, cook it for 2 minutes on each side. Taste for salt and adjust your overall mixture accordingly.
Roll up ¼ cup of the stuffing into each steamed cabbage leaf, like you would roll a burrito, and tuck each roll into a deep baking dish, seam-side down. Pour a light layer of the sauerkraut juice and all of the tomato juice over the rolls.
Insert small pieces of the cabbage heart(s) in between each roll, then top with the sauerkraut and more of its juices: the overall amount of liquid should come three-fourths of the way up the cabbage rolls.
Optional: Add some slices of smoked bacon over the top to add flavor while the dish cooks.
Cover tightly with a lid or buttered foil, and bake for 2½ to 3 hours, until tender.
