Unstuffed Cabbage
It's really hot today, but I'm hiding inside in A/C. I was wanting cabbage rolls (aka stuffed cabbage) but i did not want the hassle of blanching and rolling up the bundles. I took the soft parts of six cabbage leaves and chopped the rest. Then I made "meatballs" (beef, rice, onions, salt/pepper) and settled the raw meatballs on top of the cabbage leaves so they could not move about while cooking. (Basically, the meatball was sitting in a cabbage leaf cup with the top opened.) I covered them in cabbage and then the stewed tomatoes on top. Cooked it for 90 minutes on a simmer without stirring. I served it with mashed potatoes and had some fresh cantaloupe on the side.
The meatballs turned out like an unwrapped cabbage roll and the dish turned out pretty. I like colorful dishes and this one rated. It tasted exactly like the rolled up dish with a fraction of the work! If I were making this for company, I might have added some tomato sauce and topped each meatball.
~Kathleen
