Prepare Cabbage:

There are several ways to deal with the cabbage leaves:

• Freeze the cabbage overnight (I have not tried this, myself, but there is a sound endorsement on the notes at the bottom of this post and next time I will!)
• Core and place in a large pot of boiling water with a heavy plate to hold it down. Blanch about 3 – 5 minutes, remove promptly, and drain upside down. Separate the leaves carefully, keeping them intact. The cabbage may need to be returned to the water when the inner leaves are reached.
• Place in boiling water and as each leaf softens, remove it with a pair of tongs, very carefully…

Note: You should get about 15 to 18 intact leaves but try for 16. If you can’t get 16 large enough whole ones, you’ll need a couple more to piece together. For easier rolling, remove any hard core, either by a) cutting it out in a small triangle shape or b) shaving any excess core off horizontally with a small knife.

Sauce:

Mix tomato soup with brown sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, allspice, salt, and 1 can of water. Feel free to taste and adjust tanginess by adding more sugar or vinegar/lemon, or add a pinch of salt. Note that it will taste better after the dish has been cooked. Set aside while making the filling so the brown sugar will dissolve. After the rolls are in the casserole, pour the sauce over the cabbage rolls. Nudge the rolls around a bit so the sauce can slip between the rolls.

Make Filling:

• In a small saucepan, bring around 3 cups water to a boil. Pour in rice and raisins. Simmer briskly for 5 minutes. Drain, discarding water. Set rice mixture aside in a large bowl to cool slightly. Once cooled to touch, add onion, eggs, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
• Using clean hands, break up ground beef with fingertips, over bowl with rice mixture. Again using fingertips, being careful not to overwork, mix into a cohesive mixture.

Stuff Rolls:

Roll beef mixture in cabbage leaves – one by one.

• If you’ve removed the heavier core by trimming it out, set prepared cabbage leaf with the core side away from you. Place about 1/3 cup of the filling near the rounded edge.
• If you’ve shaved the heavier core off, place the leaf with the cored side closest to you. Add the filling near the edge of that side.

Slightly shape the filling into an oblong. Take care to make each roll about the same size, so two will fit side by side in casserole. Tuck each side of the leaf in, then roll from bottom up. Place in rows in 9×13″ casserole, nice side up. If needed, put two smaller leaves together and roll them together as one.

Bake:

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. F. Cover casserole tightly with foil and bake for two hours.  Place a sheet of foil larger than the pan on a rack just below the pan to catch any drips.

Replacing Canned Soup in Recipe:

Approximately 32 ounces ( 4 cups) of sauce is needed. For best consistency, do not use tomato sauce in a can. It has a heavier consistency. Instead, use either whole or crushed tomatoes.

Place a 29 ounce can of whole or crushed tomatoes in a blender along with 1/2 cup (4 ounces) of water. Blend to a smooth consistency. Proceed with sauce portion of the recipe, eliminating the tomato soup and can full of water originally called for.

Nutrition per Roll: Cal 193, Cal fat: 83, 44%; Tot fat 9g; Chol 49mg; Sod 192 mg; Pot 211mg; Carb 18g; Fib .82g; Sug 12g; Prot 9g.