Ingredients:
1 cup brown or long grain white rice
1 large head cabbage
1 large egg
1 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, finely minced then “pasted”
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 lb. lean ground beef
3/4 lb. ground pork*
Sauce
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced, then “pasted”
- 2 (14 1/2 oz. each) cans diced tomatoes with their juice
- 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 2 teaspoon low sodium instant beef bouillon
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire black pepper or freshly ground black pepper
- 3-4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon cold water
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Directions:
- Cook the rice according to the package directions. Fluff with a fork and set the pan aside.
- Fill a large deep pot half full of water. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Remove the core from the cabbage and place it, core side down, in the boiling water. Cover and let the head of cabbage boil for 7-8 minutes. Remove the softened outer leaves and place them on a plate to cool. Cover the pan and cook the cabbage for 6-8 minutes, checking and removing the outer leaves as they soften, placing them on the plate to cool. When you get down to the center of the cabbage and the leaves are too small for rolls, cover the pan and cook the cabbage until crisp-tender. When done, remove the cabbage from the heat, coarsely chop it and set it aside.
- For the sauce, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to turn light golden brown. Add the garlic and cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, vinegar, bouillon, garlic powder, onion powder, Worcestershire (or black) pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well, taste and adjust the seasoning. Remove from the heat. Stir in some of the chopped cooked cabbage. Set the sauce aside.
- For the filling, in a large bowl, beat the egg, then stir in the onion, garlic, salt, pepper and cooked rice. Add the ground beef and pork and mix with a wooden spoon or your hands until all the ingredients are well combined.
- Lay one of the cabbage leaves flat on a work surface with the stem end in front of you. Take 2 generous tablespoonfuls of the filling and place it at the bottom of the cabbage leaf. Fold the 2 sides in and roll away from you, making sure filling stays in the center and away from the top edge, until you reach the top of the leaf. You can secure the roll with a toothpick if you like-I don’t find it necessary. They stay together quite well once rolled, and if they do start to unroll, they can be easily tucked back together.
- Repeat this with the remaining filling and cabbage leaves. I usually get 15 rolls out of the batch of filling.
- Place the rack in the bottom of the pressure cooker. Pour in 1 cup water. Place 7-8 cabbage rolls on the rack. Cover the rolls with about 1/3 of the sauce. Add a second layer of rolls to the pressure cooker, alternating the direction of the second layer. Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the rolls. After adding the last bit of sauce, take a plastic spatula and gently go around the outer edge of the rolls to allow some of the sauce to drip down around the rolls. Make sure not to overfill the pressure cooker. It’s easy enough to cook these in 2 batches, if necessary.
- Lock the lid in place, choose High pressure and set 18 minutes cooking time. When the beep sounds, turn off the pressure cooker, unplug it, wait for 15 minutes, then use Quick Pressure to release any remaining steam.
- Gently remove the cabbage rolls from the pressure cooker to a platter.
- Select “Sauté” and bring the sauce to a boil.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and cold water until smooth and the cornstarch is dissolved. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the sauce and cook until thickened, stirring constantly.
- Serve the sauce over the cabbage rolls. Makes about 15 rolls.
*You can substitute all ground beef for the pork if you prefer