What's for Dinner?

This time of year I still enjoy comfort food. Still kind of cold out, not quite spring/summer weather yet, and unfortunately my grill cover still has a layer of snow on it, so no grilling.  I'm kind of old fashinioned I guess, that on Sunday's I still like to have a nice big meal for Dinner.  That's how I grew up and still like to instill that tradition I had then with my kids now. 

Growing up in an Italian household, dinner was at 2pm on the dot. Big dinner with macaroni (that's what I use to call it, not pasta, pasta is a term of today) but all pasta back then was called Macaroni. Funny what you remember, homemade meatballs, sausage, homemade tomato sauce, that took hours to make. I would always watch my mom prepare the sauce and later come back armed with Italian bread to test the sauce. Always perfect. My mom always used homemade sauce on her stuffed cabbage as well, lasagne etc.

Nowadays, Sunday dinner is like any other week night. As a kid we called we called stuffed cabbage Golumbke's? (sp? sorry if I mispelled them) but I think every ethnicity had a name for them. Common in Polish, Middle Eastern , Irish, Italian households, you get the ghist. 

It's a dish that is rather easy to prepare and my mom taught me how to properly remove the leaves. That's half the battle. Once you get that down, the rest is easy.

Last Sunday I decided to make Stuffed Cabbage. As a kid, hated them!!! I would only eat the inside, as that was the best part. My mom would also use the same filling for stuffed peppers, also, not a fan. But as an adult, my palate has changed, there is not much now that I don't eat. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

Well come to find out, my daughter is just like me 34 yrs ago, will only eat the filling and pass the cabbage off to anyone of us.  You can serve it with mashed potatoes, as you have the meat and sauce to have something to dip in, have a side salad, extra veg and your good to go.

It's Stuffed Cabbage and that's Whats for Dinner.

Stuffed Cabbage

• 1 Head of Cabbage
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1/2 Cup Uncooked Rice
• 1/2 Cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs
• 3 Eggs beaten
• 1 T Kosher Salt
• 1-2 Tsp Cracked Black Pepper
• 1 Cup of Tomato Sauce
• Fresh Thyme sprigs

Jar of tomato sauce

Directions on separating the leaves from the Cabbage. In a large pot of boiling water, take the cabbage and insert a fork into the stem, and submerge the head in the boiling water. Be careful not to spill over. Within 3 mins or less, you'll see the leaves start to soften and you can peel them away, cutting lightly at the stem end. You will need 14 leaves for 2lbs of meat.  Once you removed all the leaves, take a knife and cut out the stem rib end, you can't miss it, it's hard and white and once removed, you will be able to roll up the cabbage easily. See photo.

Filling:  Combine remaining ingredients in a large pan and mix together.

To your large dutch oven, layer the bottom with 1/2 jar tomato sauce.

Assemble: Take each leave and cut out the stem, then take 1/2 cup of the filling into each leave near the cut out and roll up, then roll the sides in with seam side down and place in the pan. Continue till all 14 leaves are done, you can stack them on top once the bottom layer is filled.  Cover with the remaining jar of tomato sauce on top. Open another jar of sauce if you don't have enough.  Cover the pan, Bake at 350 for 1 hour 15 mins.  

Serve with remaining tomato sauce. Serve with a side of mashed potatoes, salad and mixed veggies and your good to go. Always brings back childhood memories.

Hope you enjoy!