Ingredients

1 tbsp plus 1 tsp butter (or vegan butter) - separated

2 tbsp olive oil

1 whole green cabbage - medium sized (don’t get a small one - you won’t be able to roll up those tiny leaves)

1 lemon - halved

1 tsp caraway seeds

1 onion minced

1 cup chopped mushrooms (any kind you like is fine)

2 cloves garlic minced

1 pack ground beef or plant based ground meat substitute (I suggest Light Life Plant Based Ground)

chopped fresh herbs (I like dill, parsley, thyme)

1 cup cooked rice

1 egg

2.5 cups tomato puree

2 tbsp sour cream (or cashew cream)

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Cabbage

1. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer over high heat

2. Remove the core and first outer leaves from the cabbage

3. Halve the lemon and squeeze into the simmering water. you can throw the lemon halves in there if you want to.

4. Place the cabbage into the pot of water, ensuring that it is mostly submerged. 

5. After some time in the hot water, the leaves will start to loosen away from the cabbage. Remove them, one by one, with tongs, to a colander. Do this until you get as many leaves as you need. I did 12 to fill my baking dish.

6. Spread each leaf out on a cutting board. cut out the  tough core at the bottom of each leaf and discard it. Set cabbage leaves aside.

Filling

1. Heat 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan. Add the caraway seeds and onions and fry until the onions start to turn a little bit golden brown. 

2. Add the mushrooms and cook until most of the water has evaporated. 

3. Add the ground meat and cook until browned. 

4. Add the garlic and continue to cook another minute or so and remove from the heat.

5. Add in the cooked rice. Season the mixture with salt, pepper and chopped herbs. 

6. Let the filling cool completely. Throughly mix in one egg (if you’re making this a vegan dish you can skip the egg and add in a few tbsp of your sauce instead)

Sauce

1. In a bowl, whisk to  combine tomato puree, sour cream and some salt and pepper. Ensure there are no lumps. Taste the sauce for seasoning and adjust as necessary.

Assembly

1. Place some of the sauce, and a touch of olive oil, on the bottom of your baking dish.

2. Place a few spoonfuls of the filling into each cabbage leaf and roll up like a burrito or spring roll - starting from the bottom and then tucking in the sides.

3. Place all the rolls in to the baking dish as you finish rolling them, making sure they are nestled in tightly right beside each other.

4. Cover the cabbage rolls with the remaining sauce. Dot the tops with the remaining 1tsp of butter and scatter over some thyme stalks.

5. Bake, covered (I use an inverted sheet pan on top but you can use tin foil) for 1.5 - 2h or until the rolls are bubbling and soft to the tip of a knife.

Serve these hot with some boiled yellow potatoes, a dollop of sour cream, a lemon wedge and a small salad.