Cabbage rolls minus the carbs

These are good. Not as good as the ones full of rice and sour cream, but good and such a nice break from a piece of grilled this or a slice of roasted that. This felt like a weekend at a warm beach near your house as compared to a week at Ipanema. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t turn down a weekend at a warm beach anywhere.

This is what a serving looked like the first time I made it. Because I was using the outermost leaves of the cabbage, the rolls were bigger and there were only six. When I made it again from the next layer of leaves there were eight. The only other difference is the first time I cooked them in canned peeled tomatoes and the next time with tomato juice. The broken up tomatoes are much better.

Ingredients:

6 to 8 whole cabbage leaves, simmered in salted water for 3 minutes.

250 g /1/2 pound lean ground beef
250 g /1/2 pound lean ground pork
a heaping tablespoon of prepared horseradish
a heaping tablespoon of prepared mustard
2 tablespoons diced onion, sauteed until soft
1 egg
about 3/4 teaspoon salt
pepper

All you do is squish all that together with your hands. Then laying the drainedcabbage leaves down on a board, make an elongated meatball from some of the meat and put it on a leaf. The picture below shows the first one open with the meat, the second one with the bottom folded up, the third with the sides folded in (that toothpick was just for making stay for the foto and I took it out later) and the last is all rolled up.

That’s all of them rolled and in the casserole.

There they are with tomato juice, salt and pepper and water poured over them. For the first batch I used a 14 ounce can of peeled tomatoes, chopped up a bit and 1/2 cup/125 ml of water. When I used the juice it was a tiny 6 ounce bottle with the same amount of water. I added a bit of salt and pepper. I think you should feel free to vary the seasonings any way that appeals to you. I know I will.

I also grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese all over it and then popped it into a 175°C / 350°F oven for 50 minutes.

With a big dollop of Greek yogurt on top I was maybe not in Brasil, but at least in a warm and sunny place filled with slender people who eat low carb.