Stuffed Cabbage

Leah and Mike Klein, close friends of ours from Jerusalem, ISRAEL, spent several years in Urbana, IL. Leah is a wonderful cook and a kind, generous friend. During the summer of 1985, she brought meals to our home to help us after our youngest daughter, Eve, was born. On one such visit, Leah brought us some great stuffed cabbage. This recipe is my attempt to duplicate her dish. Stuffed cabbage is one of the traditional filled or stuffed dishes served at the fall festival of Sukkoth as a symbol of abundance.

Ingredients:

1 head of green cabbage, frozen and thawed (to separate the leaves)
2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup tomato catsup
1 T. wine vinegar
4 ounces dried salami, cut in small chunks
2 bay leaves
black pepper to taste
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 T. oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2-3/4 cup cooked rice
1 large egg
1 T. chopped dill weed
salt to taste

Clean cabbage and separate leaves. Combine tomato sauce, catsup, vinegar, salami, bay leaves, pepper, brown sugar, water and place in bottom of large pot. Sauté onion in 1 T. oil, and combine onion, meat, rice, egg, dill, salt, and mix well. Place 2-3 T. meat mixture on each cabbage leaf, roll up, and place on sauce in pan. Simmer on low heat for 45 minutes. Bake at 325°F. for about 1/2 hour. Serve with bread or rice; serves 6.
This method of separating cabbage leaves allows you to avoid parboiling the cabbage. The only trick is to plan ahead. You can always thaw the cabbage in the microwave after freezing ( if you forget to leave enough defrosting time).
This recipe can be prepared for Passover by substituting matzo meal (1/2 cup) for the rice, tomato paste for the catsup (or you can use Passover catsup if you don't mind the taste), and of course, only Passover certified ingredients for all products.