Cabbage Rolls

Steps

1. Place a large head of cabbage in a pot of boiling water. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes until softened.
2. While the cabbage softens, prepare the filling: Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Sauté chopped onions and minced garlic for about 3–5 minutes until they are nice and brown.
3. Add finely diced mushrooms to the pan and sauté them with the onions and garlic for another two minutes.
4. Transfer the onion, garlic, and mushroom mixture to a bowl and let it cool slightly.
5. To the cooled mixture, add rice, parsley, salt, pepper, ground sirloin, and strained tomatoes (or tomato puree).
6. Mix all filling ingredients thoroughly by hand until well combined.
7. Separate the softened cabbage leaves. Set aside any outer leaves that are too dark or damaged to be used for rolling.
8. For each roll, take a leaf and cut off the thick stem/vein using a sharp small knife so it does not interfere with rolling.
9. Place the filling onto the center of a prepared cabbage leaf and roll it up tightly.
10. Arrange the rolls in a baking dish (like a lasagna pan), placing them seam-side down or as desired.
11. Pour about 3/4 cup of liquid (water, beef stock, or reserved cabbage water) over the rolled cabbage.
12. Cover the baking dish with foil and place it in a preheated oven at 350°F for one and a half hours.
13. After cooking, let the cabbage rolls rest for at least 30 minutes (or preferably overnight).
14. To serve, you can brown the finished cabbage rolls in olive oil before serving with sour cream.