1 head green cabbage large
Ground Beef Mixture
1 pound ground beef 80-85%, you can 1/2 and 1/2 with pork
1 yellow onion medium diced
1 crusty white roll like a French roll or a Ciabatta roll (to make this meal gluten-free, use ½ cup gluten-free breadcrumbs instead)
1 egg
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika powder can use mild, spicy or a mixture
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
Sauce
1/4 lb bacon thick-cut and medium-diced
16 oz beef broth
3/4 cup heavy cream
cornstarch to thicken the sauce
salt, pepper, paprika powder to taste |
Soak the roll in water and set aside.
1 crusty white roll
Start by rinsing the cabbage, and picking off 8 nice leaves. The easiest way to do this is to cut the base of the leaf off, then carefully remove it. Some will tear, and that's okay.
1 head green cabbage
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then toss in the cabbage leaves and let simmer for 2 minutes or until softened. This will make the leaves more flexible and easier to work with.
Wring out the roll and medium dice if necessary (it may just tear apart easily).
Prepare the ground beef filling by kneading together all of the filling ingredients. Knead with your hands until you’re left with a homogenous mixture.
Divide the beef filling between the 8 cabbage leaves and start rolling up the leaves starting with the stem side first, then folding in the left and right ends and rolling it forward until the thin end of the leaf wraps around (it's probably helpful to watch the video for this step).
Tighten each cabbage roll with a piece of butcher’s twine wrapped around the cabbage roll (you can also use chives or green onion)
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a deep pan or pot, then add in the cabbage rolls, seam side down first, add in the chopped up bacon and sautée with the Rouladen.
Brown the cabbage rolls on all sides before adding in the beef broth. Cover with a lid, and let simmer at medium low heat for 30 minutes.
Remove the cabbage rolls from the broth and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
Thicken the sauce by adding the cream and cornstarch until desired consistency is reached. To add cornstarch, whisk together with some of the sauce in a cup (1 teaspoon at a time), and then return to the pan.
Season with salt, pepper, and paprika powder.
Serve your Kohlrouladen with mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes or Spätzle to help soak up all that delcious sauce. You can also sauté the leftover cabbage with some more bacon.
|