Cabbage Rolls

 Hi there, a bit of a departure today from cards.

Autumn is definitely here, like I said before the summer switch turned off overnight and fall set in.

These tress were 100% green yesterday, I have a feeling they are going to turn fast. I wouldn't be surprised to see them all down in a couple weeks before the Canadian Thanksgiving--lol!

I had quite a few requests for a recipe for the Cabbage Rolls I posted the other day. The recipe was my grandmother's. In Slovenian she was my Stara Mama and she always called me Teresi, I think she wished my name was Teresa! LOL She was an amazing cook!

The recipe was never written down, my mom just taught me how to make them. So I wrote down how they are made and I'm sharing today.

CABBAGE ROLLS

1 large cabbage
2 pounds ground pork
1 1/2 cups uncooked converted rice
1 large sweet onion, chopped 
1 - 2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jar sauerkraut
1 large can of tomato juice  
Salt
Pepper

1. Wash cabbage and cut out just the core of the cabbage about a half inch deep
2. Put cabbage in a large pot core down in a couple inches of water. Bring to a boil and simmer about 10 minutes. 
3. Using tongs loosen the leaves from the cabbage one layer at a time. Set aside. Keep leaves that are ripped and cut up to use as bedding for your cabbage rolls. 
4. Par boil rice, drain and set aside to cool. 
5. Set up your casserole dishes by putting some of the steamed cabbage and a bit of sauerkraut on the bottom of the dish. 
6. Put meat, onion, garlic, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add cooled rice and combine well. 
7. Add one scoop at a time of the mixture into the cabbage leaf right close then the core roll forward tucking in the edges so there are no holes and roll up. Lay into casserole dish. 
8. Top the cabbage rolls with the remaining sauerkraut and any extra steamed cabbage pieces. 
9. Mix 1 cup of tomato juice with a 1/4 of water and pour over the cabbage rolls. 
10. Seal the casserole with foil. Bake in a 350 F over for one hour checking every 10 minutes after the first half hour. Enjoy!

The cooked cabbage rolls freeze very well up to a year if sealed well. I personally like them better the day after or when I defrost them and reheat. Put in a casserole dish over a bed of sauerkraut or a bit of tomato sauce or juice for moisture, and reheat for 30-40 minutes.