Cabbage rolls

• white cabbage↗1
• rice↗300g g
• large onion↗1

  finely chopped

• olive oil↗2 tbsp tbsp
• pork mince↗750g g
• egg↗1
• dried marjoram↗pinch of
• tomato paste200g g

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Pour salted water into a pot and bring to a boil. Trim the base of the cabbage and boil it whole in the boiling water for about 4 minutes. Remove the outer leaves, then continue removing more leaves and set them aside. You may need to boil the core a bit longer to loosen the innermost leaves. Alternatively, if easier, cut leaves from the raw cabbage and boil them separately for 1–2 minutes. Reserve the cooking water.

2. 2

   Cook the rice according to the package instructions and drain well – it should be very dry. Sauté the onion in oil for 8–10 minutes until soft and fully cooked. Place the pork mince, rice, onion, egg and marjoram in a bowl, season well and mix thoroughly.

3. 3

   Lay each cabbage leaf flat and place about 2 generous tablespoons of filling near the stem in the center. Fold the sides and then roll tightly. Repeat with the remaining filling and leaves.

4. 4

   Place smaller cabbage leaves at the bottom of a deep wide pot. Arrange the cabbage rolls on top of the leaves, pressing them tightly together. Then prepare the tomato sauce by mixing tomato paste with salt, pepper and some of the reserved cabbage water, enough to cover the rolls by a few centimeters. Simmer covered for 2 hours. Serve the cabbage rolls with the tomato sauce.