This is a dish both my sister in-law and I have been trying to make now for years but have never did it. Every time we eat it out at our favorite Jewish delicatessen we both say, “We have got to make this.”

        So here it is, sister in law. My recipe for the stuffed cabbage I dropped off to you the other night.

The Drunken Chef (Russ)

Cabbage (Stuffed)

Serves 4 to 6

SPECIAL IMPLEMENTS

Dutch Oven

Chef’s knife

Can opener

Large bowl

Large Pot

INGREDIENTS

12 large cabbage leaves off a large head of cabbage

1 lbs. ground beef

2 sweet pork sausage about 1⁄4 lb ground pork

1⁄2 cup rice, made with beef broth and

1 tablespoon butter (1 cup rice when cooked)

1 egg beaten

¼ cup whole milk

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon sweet basil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon paprika

1 ½ tablespoons onions, grated

1 ½ tablespoons celery, mined

1 ½ tablespoon shredded carrot

½ cup cabbage, shredded

Sauce ingredients:

1 can of Campbell’s tomato soup

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

½ can of water

2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce

2 tablespoon light brown sugar

2 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Coarsely slice remaining cabbage for bottom of pot

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut 12 large leaves off of a head of cabbage, cover leaves with boiling water, let stand until leaves are limp (2-3 minutes); then drain OR core cabbage head, and boil cabbage until leaves are tender enough to remove easily (10-15 minutes), very carefully remove 12 large leaves (You may have to peel the outer layers first and then return the cabbage to cook and continue peeling the leaves until all are done); then drain.

2. Mix together the beef, pork, rice, egg, milk, seasonings, and grated vegetables.

3. Put 1-4 tablespoons (depending on the size of leaf) of meat mixture in center of each leaf; tuck in sides and roll to cover meat. Repeat until all the meat is in cabbage leaves.

4. Mix together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Add some of the sauce to just cover the bottom of the Dutch oven, then line the bottom of the pot with the remaining sliced cabbage, that had been sliced into ¾ to 1 inch strips.

5. Next, add 1/3 of the sauce on top of sliced cabbage then layer in the stuffed cabbage rolls and add 1/3 of the sauce between each layer, making sure the cabbage is seam side down in the Dutch oven. Cover top layer with sauce. Cover pot and simmer over low heat about an hour or until the cabbage it tender with tested with a fork.

The Drunken Chef (Russ)