Stuffed Cabbage rolls- Tīteņi

Russian Golubtsy also known in my family as Tīteņi (in Latvia) are sige rolls. They are very popular in many European countries. It is believed that this dish was borrowed by Russians and Ukrainians from Turkey, where it's Sarma - meaning "wrapping" or "rolling".

Golubtsy consist of ground meat and rice rolled inside the cabbage leaves, then simmered in tomato-sour cream sauce.

Traditional recipe requires boiling the whole head of cabbage in a pot of boiling water for 15 minutes before separating the leaves. But let's be real - dealing with cabbage in a pot is quite messy. Fortunately we have microwaves :)

So let's begin!

Serves 8 - 10 persons.

Prep time 20 minutes

Cook time 1-1,5 hours

Ingedients:

* 1/2 cup rice

* 2 Tbsp butter

* 1 onion, finely chopped

* 1 large shredded carrot

* 0,5 kg ground pork ( You can use beef or chicken also)

* Salt

* Pepper

* medium head of cabbage

* Garlic, finely chopped

* 5 Tbsp tomato sauce

* 5 Tbsp mayonnaise

Directions:

1. Cook the rice for filling, place 1/2 cup of rice in a fine mesh sieve and rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear, then drain well. Bring the rice, pinch of salt and 1 cup of water to boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Then reduce heat to medium and cook for about 10 minutes and allow to cool slightly.

2. Preheat oven to 170 degrees.

3. To make the filling, heat the butter in a frying pan over low heat. Add the onion and garlic until soft and slightly golden. Place in a bowl with the meat and remaining ingredients. Mix really well to combine until meat and rice mixture becomes sticky.

4. Place cabbage leaves in microwave and cook at 600w for 2 minutes or long enough to soften leaves. You will need 14 to 16 big leaves. Use extra leaves and trimmings to line a deep ovenproof pot.

5. Place a generous tablespoon of meat filling at the base of each leaf, roll firmly to the end of leaf. If you prefer, you can roll and tuck in sides to contain the filling better. Place the first layer in the pot.

6. In a saucepan over high heat, bring the tomato sauce, 3 tablespoons of water and mayonnaise to a boil, add salt and pepper, and it is done.

7.Pour sauce over each layer and on a top. Cover and bring to a boil in oven. It will take about 50 minutes to 1 hour.

8. Serve hot.

Labu apetīti :)