Spicy Mediterranean-style cabbage rolls

Category: Meat dishes

Ingredients
White cabbage (medium size)	1 forks
Minced meat (veal, pork)	750 g
Bacon (smoked)	75 g
Carrot	100 g
Bulb onions	100 g
Garlic	1 tooth.
Parsley	2 tbsp. l.
Rice (I have Jasmine)	100 g
Yogurt (or thick sour cream)	3 tbsp. l.
Salt, pepper to taste
For the sauce:
Tomatoes (ripe, juicy, red)	300 g
Tomato paste	1 tbsp. l.
Bulb onions	100 g
Garlic	1 tooth.
Vegetable broth	750 ml
Basil dry or fresh a few leaves	1/2 tsp
Rosemary	1 small twig
Salt, pepper to taste
Olive oil	3 tbsp. l.
Bulgarian pepper	150 g

Cooking method

1.
Preparation of cabbage leaves:
Cut the cabbage stump. Place the forks in a food bag and microwave for 15 minutes. Remove from the bag and place under running cold water - the cabbage leaves will open like a flower. If the leaves are hard, put them back in the bag and steam for another 2-3 minutes.

Cut off the thickenings from the leaves and cut them in half if the leaves are large. I fold the sheet in half and cut the nubs at an angle, resulting in triangles that are very convenient to wrap. I do not throw out the thickenings themselves, but cover them with a baking dish under the stuffed cabbage

3.
Filling:
Mix the minced meat with rice, grated onions, garlic passed through a press, finely chopped bacon, parsley, grated carrots, add salt and pepper, yogurt (for juiciness of the filling). I still have mushroom pâté (champignons fried with onions and punched in a blender), I added it to the minced meat and did not regret it.
PS I never blanch this kind of rice, but if you are in doubt about yours, then pour boiling water over it for 10 minutes, and then discard it in a colander, letting the water drain completely.
4.
Mix everything very well.
5.
Forming:
Place the filling on the edge of the cabbage leaf (if it is a triangle, then on its top) and roll it up.
6.
We squeeze the rolled cabbage roll in the left fist and with the index finger of the right hand, tuck into the edge of the cabbage, first from one side, ...
7.
... and then on the other. It turns out such a neat roll.

With cut pieces of cabbage (with thickenings) we cover the bottom of a heat-resistant form, which we lightly grease with vegetable oil and put a sprig of rosemary in the middle of the form (under the leaves). By the way, then this cabbage is very tasty.

Place cabbage rolls on top in even rows.
9.
Sauce:
Heat oil in a saucepan and simmer onion grated on a coarse grater in it for 2 minutes. Add to it the pepper, chopped into small pieces, simmer for 2-3 minutes.
10.
Add tomato paste and tomatoes, peeled and grated on a coarse grater. Simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, add basil.
11.
Pour in broth and bring to a boil.
12.
Pour the cabbage rolls over the sauce. Close the mold tightly with foil and place in an oven preheated to 190 degrees C for one hour. Focus on your oven!

13.

Remove the foil and bake the cabbage rolls until golden brown for another 10 minutes. During baking, the broth is almost completely boiled away, a thick and very tasty sauce remains, and the stuffed cabbage rolls themselves are very juicy!