Preparation:
Carefully remove 8 intact leaves from the head of lettuce. These will be your cabbage rolls, so be careful. In a large pot of boiling water, cook intact cabbage leaves 1 or 2 at a time for 2 minutes, or until fairly limp. Allow to cool on paper towels. In a skillet, brown ground beef with the finely chopped onion. Drain excess fat. Add uncooked rice and 1 scant cup WATER until most of the water has been absorbed and rice is cooked. Prepare sauce: Chop remaining cabbage finely. Mix tomato puree, lemon juice, brown sugar and raisins in a DUTCH OVEN. Prepare cabbage rolls: on center third of cabbage leaf, place about 3 TBS of ground beef mixture. Roll sides over mixture, then roll from top of leaf until entire leaf has been rolled up. Place seam side down in Dutch oven and spoon sauce over and around rolls. Cook in preheated 375 degree oven for 1hr. |
