Mamaw's Cabbage Rolls

I saw a post on FB about Appalachian Americans (Which I am very proud to say I belong to) have a tradition of cooking cabbage with money in it for luck in New Year's Day.

So I found the recipe used by my husband's grandmother and mother for cabbage rolls.

These puppies take forever to throw together.  And evidently, I was supposed to use the old roaster that they were always cooked in.  Sorry, I wanted to use my cast iron pot.

They looked exactly like I remember but the taste just wasn't right.  They needed a  little jazz to kick them up a notch.

I was the only lucky one.  I found two quarters in my cabbage rolls and kraut.

Tomorrow Cabbage Roll Soup.

Mamaw's Cabbage Rolls

Blanch one head of cabbage being careful when peeling the leaves apart.

Filling:

2 pounds of ground pork

1 pound of ground beef

1 cup of uncooked brown rice

2 medium onions, chopped

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 (32 oz) can of tomato juice

1 (28 oz) package of sour kraut

1 (28 oz) can of diced tomatoes

Combine the first seven ingredients in a bowl.  Steam cabbage for 5 minutes in 1/2 cup of water in the microwave. (I did mine on the stove top).  Place a handful of the mixture in the cabbage and roll like you would a burrito. (One roll over and the tuck the sides in and then continue to roll until you reach the other side of the cabbage leaf.)  Secure with a wooden toothpick.  Place in a roasting pan.  Cover the bottom with the rolls and then cover with half of the kraut and half of the tomatoes.  Repeat.  Bake covered for 2 1/2 hours on 350 degrees.

I saw a post on FB about Appalachian Americans (Which I am very proud to say I belong to) have a tradition of cooking cabbage with money in it for luck in New Year's Day.

So I found the recipe used by my husband's grandmother and mother for cabbage rolls.

These puppies take forever to throw together.  And evidently, I was supposed to use the old roaster that they were always cooked in.  Sorry, I wanted to use my cast iron pot.

They looked exactly like I remember but the taste just wasn't right.  They needed a  little jazz to kick them up a notch.

I was the only lucky one.  I found two quarters in my cabbage rolls and kraut.

Tomorrow Cabbage Roll Soup.

Mamaw's Cabbage Rolls

Blanch one head of cabbage being careful when peeling the leaves apart.

Filling:

2 pounds of ground pork

1 pound of ground beef

1 cup of uncooked brown rice

2 medium onions, chopped

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 (32 oz) can of tomato juice

1 (28 oz) package of sour kraut

1 (28 oz) can of diced tomatoes

Combine the first seven ingredients in a bowl.  Steam cabbage for 5 minutes in 1/2 cup of water in the microwave. (I did mine on the stove top).  Place a handful of the mixture in the cabbage and roll like you would a burrito. (One roll over and the tuck the sides in and then continue to roll until you reach the other side of the cabbage leaf.)  Secure with a wooden toothpick.  Place in a roasting pan.  Cover the bottom with the rolls and then cover with half of the kraut and half of the tomatoes.  Repeat.  Bake covered for 2 1/2 hours on 350 degrees.