When it comes to rolling a pot of stuffed grape leaves or rolling a pot of stuffed cabbage leaves, the cabbage has my vote! These are so easy to make and so full of flavour! The stuffing is a mixture of rice, beef and warm seasonings then it’s all wrapped up in a soft cabbage leaf. The cabbage rolls are cooked slow in a lemony broth with hints of garlic. YUM! The whole family will enjoy this meal!
Ingredients
1 medium sized cabbage (I like to use savoy cabbage)
2 cups short grain rice
400g ground beef
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp salt
1 tsp 7 spices
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup olive oil
4 cups water
1 plus ½ fresh lemon juice
1 tsp pomegranate molasses
1 tbsp dried mint
4 garlic cloves, sliced
Instructions
Remove core from cabbage and place the entire head into boiling water.
The leaves will start to separate, as they do, remove them from the water and place in a strainer. Continue until all the leaves have separated.
In a bowl, mix rice with beef, tomato paste, salt, 7 spices, garlic powder, oil and cinnamon. Mix until combined and set aside.
Cut the stem out of each leaf and set aside.
Lay the leaf on a flat surface and add about 2 tablespoons of the rice mixture toward the bottom of the leaf. Fold the cabbage leaf over the rice mixture and roll until you’ve reached the end of the leaf.
In a large bowl, add all the stems to create a base for the stuffed cabbage, this will prevent burning the rolls.
Add the cabbage rolls to the pot, placing them side by side tucking in the sliced garlic in between the rolls randomly throughout the pot.
In a bowl, mix water with lemon, pomegranate molasses and mint. Pour over the cabbage rolls and place a heat safe dish to compress the rolls while cooking. Add the water mixture, cover with a lid then place the pot on the stove.
Bring to a boil then lower the heat and cook for roughly 1 hour. Allow to rest in the pot for 30 minutes then flip onto a large platter.