Stuffed cabbage in sour cream and tomato sauce

Traditional and delicious dish. Every housewife cooks them in her own way, and in our family we cook stuffed cabbage according to this recipe. Many people are afraid to cook stuffed cabbage because of the difficulty of preparing cabbage leaves, but don't be scared, it's actually very easy and quick, so try it!

Composition:

• white cabbage — 1 head
• stuffing (pork and beef) — 750-850 g
.
• rice - 0,5 tbsp.
• large carrots - 1 pc.
• large onion - 1 pc.
• tomato paste - 3 tbsp.
• sour cream - 5 tbsp.
• vegetable oil for frying
• salt, pepper — to taste

Cooking:

First you need to prepare cabbage leaves, in which you will wrap the stuffing.
To do this, carefully make incisions in the cabbage around the pith with a knife and remove the pith. This way the cabbage will steam faster and the leaves will be easier to separate from the head.

Then drop the head of cabbage with the pith side down into a pot of boiling water and hold for 2 minutes, then flip it over and hold again for 2 minutes. If the cabbage is old, it may need 1-2 minutes longer, if it's young, this will be enough time for the leaves to soften.

Then, for convenience, you can remove the cabbage to a plate and carefully, trying not to tear the leaves, separate them from the kale. If the leaves are still hard inside the cabbage, plunge it back into the boiling water for a few minutes and repeat the procedure.

But I find it more convenient to gently separate the leaves right in the water with a spatula, lightly picking them up. This way the top leaves don't soften too much, and the bottom leaves are better steamed. The smallest leaves that remained from the disassembly of cabbage, do not throw away, but lay out on the bottom of the pot in which the stuffed cabbage will be cooked. I advise you to take a pot with thick walls.
Then carefully cut off the thickening at the base of the leaves, but so that no hole is accidentally formed.

And then cut off the leaves.

If the head of cabbage was large, and you like small stuffed cabbage, then large leaves can be cut in half, but it is more difficult to make stuffed cabbage from such leaves and beginners should not do so.
Then prepare the minced meat. To do this, pass the meat through a meat grinder. The most tasty stuffed cabbage are made of a mixture of pork and beef, but you can use any meat you like.
Meanwhile, rinse the rice, pour cold water so that it covers the groats by a few centimeters and bring to a boil. After that, reduce the heat and cook until half-cooked - about 10-12 minutes. After that, drain the excess water and cool the rice.
Meanwhile, peel the onion and carrots, chop the onion finely, grate the carrots.
Heat a small amount of refined sunflower oil in a frying pan and fry the vegetables in it until soft. If you don't like carrots, you can leave them out, but I will note that in the ready stuffed cabbage it is practically not felt, but makes them much juicier.
Add rice and vegetables to the minced meat, salt and pepper to taste and mix everything thoroughly.

Take one cabbage leaf, put some mince in the bases and twist as you like — envelope, roll, etc. etc.

Place the stuffed cabbage tightly in the pot on top of the leaves you have covered the bottom with, pour water so that it covers all the stuffed cabbage, put a plate upside down on top and put a mug with water on it. This press will prevent the stuffed cabbage from floating and opening up during the cooking process.

Put the stuffed cabbage on the heat, and once it boils, reduce the heat and simmer for 35-45 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the tomato paste and sour cream in a bowl and add to the pot. After that, stew the stuffed cabbage for another 25-35 minutes.

Serve the stuffed cabbage hot, pouring them with sour cream, you can sprinkle with greens.
Enjoy!