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Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with White Wine Sauce

Gabrielle Rossmer Gropman and Sonya Gropman
It's German! It's Jewish! It's Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with White Wine Sauce from The German Jewish Cookbook!
4.50 from 4 votes
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Course Main
Cuisine Jewish
Servings 4 -6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 medium-large head green cabbage
  • Broth:
  • 1 tablespoon neutral-flavored oil
  • 1 medium-size onion thinly sliced
  • 2 cups broth beef, chicken or vegetable, I used chicken
  • 1/2 cup white wine I used vino blanco
  • 1 large carrot peeled and cut into thin rounds (around 1/8 inch)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Large handful of fresh parsley flat
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground white or black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Stuffing:
  • 6 ounces stale bread rolls bulkie, Kaiser, or Vienna
  • 1 pound ground beef veal, or turkey or a combination (I used beef)
  • 1 medium-size onion finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 large egg beaten
  • Sauce:
  • Up to 1 cup additional broth as needed
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • Additional seasonings as needed

Instructions
 

  • Blanching the cabbage leaves:
  • Bring 2 to 3 quarters of water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Trim the bottom of the core off the cabbage. Carefully remove the leaves from the cabbage, being sure to keep each leaf whole. If you have difficulty pulling the leaves off, make a cut around the bottom of the core with a sharp paring knife, releasing a layer of leaves. If it's still difficult, plunge the whole head unto the pot of boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove the head to a shallow bowl with a slotted spoon and gently remove the leaves as they come loose. You may have to repeat this procedure. Continue making cuts as needed on each layer.
  • Remove at leaves 12, and up to 18, leaves, Put 4 cabbage leaves at a time into the boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes until softened. Gently remove from the water with tongs and place in a colander to drain. Continue until all the leaves have been blanched. Lay out the leaves in a single later on a clean kitchen towel to drain completely.
  • Making the broth:
  • Heat the oil in a large, oven-safe, heavy-bottomed pot or a Dutch oven. Add the sliced onion and cook over medium-low heat until transparent (do not let the onion brown), stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add the broth, wine, carrot, bay leaf, parsley, kosher salt, pepper, and nutmeg, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat, decrease the heat to medium-high, and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
  • Making the stuffing:
  • Put the bread rolls in a colander set in the sink. Moisten them with lukewarm water until they are soggy, then squeeze them to remove as much excess water as you can. Tear them into 1-inch pieces.
  • Put the chopped meat in a large mixing bowl. Add the chopped onion, torn bread, parsley, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and beaten egg. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are incorporated- this is best done with clean hands!
  • Baking the stuffed cabbage:
  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Put a drained cabbage leaf on a work surface. I trimmed the spine a little to remove some of the thick, tough piece. This is optional. Place a heaping tablespoon of the meat mixture in the hollow of the leaf at the stem end, about 1-inch from the bottom, then fold the left and right sides of the leaf over the filling. Fold the top of the leaf over the filling and tuck it under the stem end to make a snug, oval-shaped package. (Note: Your cabbage leaves will probably vary in size, in which case you should adjust the amount of filling you use- a little less or more than tablespoon, to suit the size of each leaf. Most of mine I used more.)
  • Put the finished roll, stem side down, in the pot with the broth. Continue filling and wrapping, adding each roll to the pot, until you have used all the cabbage leaves, or until you have used all the meat mixture. They should all fit in the pot in one layer (if you have one or two that don't fit, it is okay to set them on top of the first layer). Cover the pot and bake for 1 hour.
  • Making the sauce:
  • Remove the cabbage rolls from the pot and put them in a serving dish. Measure the liquid remaining in the pot. If it has reduced to less than 1 1/2 cups, add more broth to equal that amount. Pour the broth back into the pot and add the lemon juice. Put a ladleful of the broth into a small bowl, add the cornstarch, and stir to dissolve. Place the pot over medium heat. Pour the cornstarch mixture back into the large pot, stirring constantly. Simmer until the cornstarch turns clear and the sauce has thickened. Tatse for seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, or nutmeg if needed. Pout the sauce into a gravy boat or bowl.
  • Serve the cabbage rolls warm, with the sauce served on the side.
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