Stuffed Cabbage Leaves

You need:

• 1 pound ground beef, lean
• 1 pound uncooked white rice
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 pounds pickled cabbage leaves
• 1 red pepper
• 1 carrot
• 1 teaspoon summer savory

Instructions for the stuffing:

Fry the ground beef first and add the pepper, onion, and carrot. Cook for 5-6 minutes. Stir well and add the rice and the spices at the end.

Rolling the Cabbage Leaves

Here comes the tricky part: rolling the leaves with the mixture. It's easy once you get the hang of it. You have to leave a little room for the rice to expand. Think of rolling a burrito. Place a cabbage leaf side down. Place about 2 tablespoons of mixture in the middle. Fold in the sides and roll upward. When you have rolled the last leaf, place a heavy plate on top of the stuffed cabbage leaves in your pan. I use a ceramic plate. This helps keep the cabbage leaves in place during cooking so they don't shift around or open up. Fill pan with boiling water a little bit above the ceramic plate and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 45-50 minutes until rice is cooked through. This serves 6.