Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Cut the heel (Hard white end) off the cabbage and discard. Place head in a large pot of boiling water for 10 – 15 minutes, turning it over halfway through. Carefully remove the head of cabbage from the boiling water. Allow to cool and peel the outer leaves off the cabbage until you meet some resistance. You do not want the leaves to tear. Place the head back into the boiling water and repeat the process. I usually have to do it 2 or 3 times before I get all of the large leaves off. Once done you can chop up the inner part of the cabbage and place those chopped up pieces in the bottom of your dutch oven as your first layer.

After you have your loose cabbage leaves, (I usually have 15-20), you can prepare your filling. The filling is prepared with raw ground chuck and rice that will cook in the extra long cooking time inside the cabbage leaves. Combine the raw ground chuck, uncooked rice, 2 eggs, diced onion, salt and black pepper. Place a small amount inside each loose cabbage leaf and place it seam side down inside the dutch oven. After filling all of the leaves, put a layer of thinly sliced onions over the cabbage rolls. The next layer is the undrained diced tomatoes and the tomato sauce. Followed by the lemon juice, salt, black pepper and brown sugar. Put the lid on the pot and place in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove the lid and bake uncovered for 2 more hours. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.