Stuffed Cabbage Leaves.

Stuffed Cabbage Leaves – Tasty Eats: "There are so many recipes for stuffed cabbage leaves, from all over the world, each is special and tasty, and it’s hard to choose between them all."
Makes: 30 small
Freezing/defrosting the cabbage: 1 day ahead
Prep time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 30 minutes + 2 hours baking
Ingredients:
30 prepared leaves (from 1 large cabbage head, see below for instructions)
For the filling:
1.5 lbs (700 grams) beef chuck, ground
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
3 celery sticks, chopped
¼ cup rice (I prefer Basmati)
1 Tbs salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp date syrup (or pomegranate syrup, honey or brown sugar)
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs tomato paste
1 Tbs sweet paprika
½ tsp garlic powder
1 Tbs sumac
½ tsp five spice mix
For the sauce:
¼ cup tomato paste
1 Tbs salt
½ tbs freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp date syrup (or pomegranate syrup, honey or brown sugar)
1 Tbs tamarind paste
4 cups beef stock (preferably homemade)
10 dried yellow plums, or apricots

Prepare the cabbage: core the cabbage base, wrap in plastic bag and place in the freezer overnight.
Take out of the freezer and bring to room temperature.
Once the cabbage thaws, the leaves will look “cooked” and soft.
Separate them carefully.
Line the pot bottom with a few of the outer ones.
Place the rest on a cutting board and remove the tough center, so that you’ll get 2 separate parts of cabbage leaves to fill.

The filling: mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Let sit for half an hour.

Filling the leaves: place one prepared cabbage leaf on a cutting board, with the cut side up. Add about 2 tbs of the filling, shaped by hand to an oval meatball, near the edge of the leaf. Fold both sides in, and roll tight. Place in the pot. Repeat with the rest of the leaves, tucking them together them tightly.

The sauce: in a bowl, mix the tomato paste with the salt, pepper, date syrup and tamarind paste. Gradually whisk in the stock, to a smooth sauce.

Cooking: add the dried plums or apricots on top and place a large heat proof plate on top, to prevent the stuffed leaves from moving while cooking.
Add the sauce and cover the pot.

Bring to a boil, over a medium-high heat.
Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 30 minutes.
Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning, if needed.
Preheat the oven to 250F (120C).
Place the covered pot in and bake for an hour.
Carefully, uncover the pot and remove the plate.

Place back in the oven and bake for another hour, or until most of the sauce is absorbed and the top layer caramelized.
Let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature before carefully removing the bundles.
The stuffed rolls can be kept, in an airtight container in the fridge, for up to a week.

OR: - alex’s mom’s stuffed cabbage | smitten kitchen:

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