Cabbage Rolls to Make Ahead For The Freezer.

This is an old German dish or at least Germany had their take on it, as my Godmother, Elnora Breidenbaugh first made them when we visited them when I was a very little girl. I fell in love with them. I had already been crazy about her. She was not only my Godmother but also my Mother's Godmother as well as my Grandmother, Elsie Neukam's sister. 

I found the idea for this recipe in an old cookbook * Grandma Neukam gave me and love the fact you make it ahead to freeze for another day. A really good idea now when the gardens are full and folks are looking for ways to use their abundance. It is also a penny wise dish as it made 12 rolls. Probably 2 or perhaps 3 for a really big adult appetite. I would expect the recipe could be frozen in 2 dishes and make 2 main dishes serving a family of 4.

Ingredients for rolls:

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
1 egg
1 onion chopped fine
2 C. cooked brown rice
1 t. chili powder
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. black pepper

12 large cabbage leaves from the outer portion of the head

Sauce:

8 Oz. spicy V8 vegetable juice or your own blend made with juicer
8 Oz. tomato sauce
6 Roma tomatoes diced
2 T. tomato paste
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. vinegar

Start by selecting a large head of cabbage with large intact loose leaves. Wash and remove a dozen leaves. If you have difficulty core the cabbage with a long slender knife. If you start at the outside and loosen then loosen at the core you can work from both sides to detach. Do not be alarmed at tearing but keep as together as you can.

Heat a kettle of water (about 4"-5" deep) to boiling and drop the cabbage leaves in to wilt them until they are pliable. Remove with a slotted spoon or spider and pie on a plate to cool.

Meanwhile mix all of the ingredients for the meat filling together in a large bowl. Stir well to combine. Take a large spoonful and work with you hands to make a egg shaped portion.

Position the first cabbage leaf with the stem side towards you curling or facing up. Position the meat across the end of the stem and fold the loose left and right edges inward and roll the portion to the opposite end forming a cabbage roll. Repeat the process until the filling is used positioning the rolls into buttered baking dishes you plan to freeze them in for keeping.

Cover with a double layer of plastic wrap, label, and freeze.

The sauce is made just before you plan to bake and serve.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the sauce ingredients stirring well to combine. Cover the frozen cabbage rolls and bake for 1 1/4 hour until bubbling hot and cooked through out. Serve as the main course topped with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt.

*This recipe was adapted from, "Here's what's Cookin'", Dubois County Extension Homemakers Clubs 1975.