Trisha's Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

This is a post that almost didn't happen. You see, I checked out Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood from our local library (checking to see if I wanted to invest in a copy) and my mother saw it sitting on an end table one day. She commented on how she had wanted to review it when it came out, and never got a chance to do so. So I told her to take it home for a few days. Next thing you know she was calling saying we had to try this and that from the book. We decided to get together at her house (her kitchen is twice the size of mine) last weekend and try the cabbage rolls from Garth's mom. We're mixing and cooking and having a great day. I'm taking pictures and dont you know, my battery dies. I never thought to grab the charger. The last picture I managed to get was the meat on the cabbage leaf about to be rolled. I took the final picture when I came home and had dinner that night, after letting the battery on our camera charge.

So here we go.

The ingredient list is fairly long, lots of spices.

Ready for stuffing.

Wrap and roll.

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Colleen's Cabbage Rolls

Adapted from Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood

Ingredients

1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 cup long grain rice (we used brown rice)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 8 ounce can stewed tomatoes
2 heads green cabbage
9 cups water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 bay leaves
1 12 ounce can tomato juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the beef, rice, salt, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, amd tomatoes. Set aside.Wash and core the cabbage. Bring a large stockpot filled with 8 cups of the water, the sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, and bay leaves to a boil. Blanch the cabbage in the boiling mixture for 5 minutes, or until just softened. Drain the cabbage, let it cool, then carefully peel 12 leaves from the cabbage.

Place 1/4 cup of the beef and rice mixture onto each leaf. Fold in the sides of the leaf and wrap into a roll. Place the cabbage rolls, seam side down, closely together in a 9 x 13 x 2 inch shallow baking pan.In a small bowl, combine the tomato juice with the remaining 1 cup water and pour the mixture over the cabbage rolls. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the meat is well done.
Makes 6 servings.


I have to tell you we doubled the recipe and still only had 14 cabbage rolls. We were really unimpressed with this recipe. For one the cinnamon and cloves were quite overpowering. Not our cup of tea so to say. Mom said she'll stick with her recipe the way she's always made them, and I agree. Secondly the sauce was very watery. We even added another 6 ounces of the tomato juice and still watery. When I came home I added some tomato sauce and some onion and garlic powder to mine and put the dish back into the oven for a little while. It was thicker and better. We still weren't happy with the flavors of the spices. Even Michael said they weren't what he was used to. His grandmother frequently made "pigs in a blanket" as she called them. Well, to each his own I guess. You can try them and decide for yourself. I know I'll make them from my own recipe or maybe even do some internet surfing and see what the rest of the world has to offer.






We're off to the other house to paint and clean for the day. Stay safe.
Carla and Michael