Prakkes (Sweet-and-Sour Stuffed Cabbage)

1 large green cabbage

for stuffing:
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped mushrooms
2 lbs. lean ground beef
Salt and pepper to taste

for sauce:
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1-1/2 cups water

1. In a large, shallow pot of boiling salted water, blanch whole
cabbage until outer leaves are pliable and can be removed without
breaking, about 2 minutes; put leaves in a large bowl of cold water.
Place cabbage back into boiling water until the next layer of leaves
is pliable. Repeat until 16 cabbage leaves have been removed and
reserve rest of cabbage for later. Rinse leaves and pat dry. Trim off
the tough center rib of each leaf.

2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and
mushrooms and saute until onions are soft and translucent, about 7
minutes. Remove to a plate.

3. In the same skillet, cook ground meat until well-browned, about 12
minutes. Return mushrooms and onions to pan, and season with salt and
pepper to taste.

4. Place about 1/4 cup of stuffing in the center of a cabbage leaf.
Fold in both ends of the leaf to trap the stuffing, then roll leaf up
to form a cylinder. Repeat with remaining leaves.

5. Line the bottom of a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven with
leftover cabbage leaves to prevent rolled leaves from sticking. Place
rolled leaves in the pot, seam side down. (You will have more than
one layer.)

6. In a medium bowl, combine tomato paste, sugar, vinegar, water and
salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and then pour over stuffed
cabbage. Bring to boil and then lower heat and simmer, covered, until
cabbage is very tender, at least 1-1/2 hours. (Note: Stuffed cabbage
can be frozen and reheated.) Remove to a large serving plate.

Ratner's Stuffed Cabbage

1 large green cabbage
1 cup rice
1 carrot
1 bell pepper
2 stalks celery
1 onion
6 mushrooms
1/4 cup butter
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
1 recipe stuffed green pepper sauce
1/4 cup raisins
2 Tbl honey

1) Core cabbage, cover with water, boil hard for 30 minutes, drain
and cool

2) Remove 18 leaves. Shred 2 cups of remaining cabbage

3) Cook rice until tender

4) Preheat oven to 350

5) Finely chop remaining vegetables (but not the cabbage) and sautee in
the butter until soft but not brown

6) Stir vegetables into rice along with the egg and salt and pepper

7) Place a heaping tablespoon of mixture on a cabbage leave and roll up

8) Spoon 1 cup of sauce into a 9x13 glass plan, place cabbage rolls seam
side down in pan

9) Sprinkle raisins, honey and shredded cabbage on top of the rolls

10) Pour remaining sauce over the cabbage rolls, cover with foil and
bake for 1.5 hours



Stuffed Pepper Sauce

28 oz tomato puree
1.5 cups water
0.5 cups sugar
1.5 Tbl salt
1 apple peeled, cored and grated
1 tsp sour salt

Combine all ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes