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My aunt
called the following version of stuffed cabbage, my lazy way of making it,
porcupines because of the quill like appearance of the rice as it pokes out of
the meatballs. It doesn't bother me because the taste is the same. And frankly I
don't like burning my fingers, so I never mastered the art of peeling hot
cabbage leaves from a freshly cooked head. I tried, really I did, but it was
easier to chopped up the cabbage and eliminate one step from the recipe -
thereby freeing up some of my precious time! Cabbage is a staple in most Slavik
households and my mother's family was no different. I even had a dog who would
steal the cabbage core from the trash and crunch on it. He also liked to steel
the candy canes off the Christmas tree. At least he didn't suffer from dog
breath (and neither did we
This
recipe differs from others I've seen. It is more soup like, but I truly prefer
this to the classic baked stuffed cabbage with some ketchup type of sauce poured
on top. Lazy Stuffed Cabbage 1 large head cabbage 2 lbs good
quality ground beef - this is important because too much fat causes the meat to
fall apart 1 - 1 1/2 cups medium grain rice - not parboiled like Uncle Bens 1
large can diced or crushed tomatoes salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste Chop
cabbage into bite-sized pieces and put into a dutch oven or stock pot. Add water
to within two inches of the top and turn on high to boil cabbage. While cabbage
is cooking place ground beef in a large bowl. Add rice, then seasonings to
taste. My preference is to cover rice with pepper to where the rice has been
darkened by the pepper, cover the pepper with salt, then add garlic powder.
Adjust seasonings to your particular taste. Mix meat, rice and seasonings well,
then form into palm sized meatballs. Add meatballs to cabbage, add tomatoes.
Cook over medium high until done, 30-45 minutes. The cabbage will stick to the
bottom of the pot if you are not careful so stir frequently. The tastes mingle
when allowed to sit overnight, but we've never been able to do wait that long to
eat it.