NOTE: There is an extended version of this post in the works, but here’s the recipe for all the folks coming by from the IFA link. Enjoy the content!

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

For the wrappers:
One cabbage, about two pounds

For the filling:
Half a cup of water
One pound ground beef
One large egg
Bread crumbs, which I didn’t have, so I used a shredded slice of crusty bread instead
a half cup of bulgar wheat (the recipe calls for rice, but I really dislike the look of rice in cabbage rolls, looks like it’s filled with tiny worms)
One large grated carrot
One onion, diced
One garlic clove
Salt/pepper

For the broth:
One cup(ish) chopped cabbage
One onion, chopped
One large can crushed tomatoes
One cup water
Half a cup of raisins
Half a cup (ish) packed brown sugar
gingersnap cookies, crumbled
Juice of one large lemon
salt

Combine the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Core the cabbage and set, cored side down in a large pot of boiling water. After about ten minutes, pull it out (CAREFULLY) and remove the soft outer leaves. Keep the water at a boil, as you’ll be returning the cabbage to the water as you pull off softened leaves. Trim the tough center stem to make the leaves more pliable. Place a small handful of the filling mixture in each leaf at down stage center, fold the sides over and roll up from the bottom. Tie the rolls with string or cook seam side down. I didn’t have a large enough pan to cook the rolls on a single layer, and I tied them with string so I wouldn’t have to worry about them shifting about as I stacked them in the stock pot.
You should have enough cabbage leftover to make about a cup’s worth of roughly chopped cabbage. Combine this in a large pot with the onion and saute until golden brown. Add the water, tomatoes, raisins, sugar, cookies, lemon juice and salt, and bring to a boil. Place cabbage rolls in broth seam side down, adding water to cover. Let simmer for an hour and a half. Serve with sour cream.

I saved the extra broth, and have some vague ideas of using it for some sort of pot roast. There was just so much of it, I felt bad about throwing it away.