Getting ready for Rosh HaShanah: Stuffed cabbage!

Stuffed Cabbage

The cookies give the cabbage rolls a fabulous sweet and spicy taste that is incomparable.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 medium green cabbages
• 4 pounds chopped steak
• 3 cups non-dairy bread crumbs
• 3 eggs-slightly beaten
• 5 large onions
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 3 large beefsteak tomatoes
• 1 box dark brown sugar
• 12 ounces non-dairy gingersnaps
  
• 3 large lemons

EQUIPMENT

• 6 quart soup pot
• large stainless steel roaster with
• cover
• 2 large stainless steel roasting pans
• Baster
• large colander

DIRECTIONS

1. Remove ragged outer leaves from cabbages. Cut one inch off stems and cut a deep X into each of them. Put one cabbage head, stem down, into soup pot. Add water to pot until it is ¾ full. Bring water to a boil. Boil cabbage about 20 minutes. Carefully remove cabbage from boiling water and place in colander. Rinse well with cold water. Separate as many leaves as will easily peel off. Return cabbage to boiling water for another 10 minutes. Rinse in cold water and peel off more leaves. Repeat one or two more times or until most of the leaves have been separated from the cabbage. Reserve remaining cabbage to scatter over the cabbage rolls. Repeat this process with the other two cabbages. Drain all the cabbage leaves very well.

2. While cabbages are boiling, peel and chop 2 onions finely. Peel and slice the other three onions. Set aside.

3. Mix chopped meat with chopped onions, eggs, pepper, breadcrumbs and water.

4. Arrange sliced onions on the bottom of roaster.

5. Forming cabbage rolls: Place one cabbage leaf on a flat surface. - the stem facing away from you. Take a small amount of chopped meat mixture and form a lightly packed log shape with your hands. Place the meat log about one inch away from the beginning of the cabbage leaf. Roll the edge of the leaf over the meat and continue rolling, tucking in the sides of the cabbage leaf until you have reached the stem. Repeat this process until all the meat has been rolled. Arrange cabbage rolls in concentric circles in roaster. Do not fill roaster more than two inches from the top. Divide recipe between two pans if you have to.

6. Slice tomatoes and place over the cabbage rolls. Chop any remaining pieces of cabbage and scatter those over cabbage rolls as well. Fill the roaster with enough water to skim the surface of the cabbage rolls. Bring water to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Simmer cabbage rolls about 1 ½ hours. Turn the cover a bit askew over the roaster if the gravy begins to spill over the top. While cabbage rolls are simmering, crush ginger snaps.

7. When cabbage rolls are done, remove them from the roaster and place them in a single layer in baking pans.

8. Preheat oven to: 350 F.

9. Add ground gingersnaps, lemon juice and brown sugar to gravy. Adjust seasoning to taste. Add more brown sugar or lemon juice as needed.

10. Ladle gravy over cabbage rolls. Reserve any leftover gravy in a separate container.

11. Bake stuffed cabbage for two hours or more, basting constantly until gravy has thickened and the stuffed cabbage is slightly glazed. Serve hot.

Note: Cool stuffed cabbage completely before freezing. Defrost for several hours before reheating.