This is one of my and my son’s favorite. The above picture does not do justice to this delicious main dish. Although it has the same stuffing as grape leaves, it has a totally different taste. As cabbage dolma needs to be rolled loosely they are larger rolls, does not need as much time to prepare, which is great news.
Cabbage leaves are rather stiff; so you will need to separate them and boil them to be able to roll them. You should cut off the thick stems in the middle. You can also use the bottom of a glass to bang on the stems to make them flat.
In your working place you should have the boiled cabbage leaves, the meat mixture, a knife, a glass and a flat place like a tray or a plate. 
The rolling is similar to rolling grape leaves. You place the meat in the middle, curl the sides inward and roll.
If the leaf is too large, cut into half and do the same thing.
Continue until the meat mixture is finished. If you are out cabbage leaves you can always fill a tomato and add into the same pot. Cut the top of the tomato as if you are cutting the top part of an egg. Scoop out the inside of the tomato and fill in the meat mixture. Place back the part you had cut as a lid.
Serve warm with some plain yogurt and enjoy this whole meal.
Meat Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Ingredients
Cabbage
- 1 medium white cabbage
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 litres water to boil
Stuffing
- 250 grams ground meat medium fat, beef
- 2 large tomatoes
- 2 onions
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 100 grams rice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon all spice
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 10 stalks parsley chopped
- 10 stalks dill chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 100 grams warm water
Instructions
Cabbage
- Bring to boil about 2 litres of water in a pot add a tablespoon of sugar.
- Take out the first layer of leaves and discard. Carve and take out the stem part.
- Place the cabbage with the stem hole downwards into the pot.
- Switch sides after two minutes. The leaves will be loosened by now.
- Take out of the water and peel them one by one, try not to wrip the leaves. If necessary boil a few more minutes.
Stuffing
- Chop or grate the onions. You can also use a food processor for this. Put them in a large mixing bowl. Add also the minced garlic.
- Grate the tomato, using a food processor if you like and add to the onions.
- Add chopped parsley and dill.
- Add the ground meet.
- Rinse the rice until there is no longer white starchy water flowing under the colander. Add the rice to the meat mixture.
- Add the spices; salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes and all spice. Add these to your taste. Also add a tablespoon of tomato paste.
- Mix all either with your hands or a spoon. Make sure everything is well combined.
Rolling
- Choose large pot. You can also choose to use a pressure cooker.
- In the bottom make a protective layer with 2-3 large leaves, spread them out in the bottom of the pot.
- On your working space you should have the boiled cabbage, the meat stuffing, your pot and a large flat dish or a tray, a knife, a teaspoon.
- Lay a boiled cabbage leaf with the shiny part facing downwards. If it is too big cut into half. If the center stalk is too thick, cut it out.
- Put a tablespoon of meat mixture near the stalk. First curl the sides inward and roll until the end.
- The roll should be somewhat loose and the roll itself is suppossed to be large.
- Continue until either the cabbage leaves or the meat mixture is finished.
- Place all the roles side by side making a circle in the pot.
- Add warm water and olive oil.
- Cover with a dish facing downwards so the rolls do not float around while cooking.
- Cook at high heat first. Then when the water boils, reduce the heat to medium.
- Cook until the leaves are done, for about half an hour. If there is no more water left and the leaves are not ready you may add some more warm water.
- Serve warm with plain yogurt, sprinkled with red pepper flakes.