LITHUANIAN CABBAGE ROLLS RECIPES

Steps:

• Saute the onion in a small amount of butter in a fry pan until soft and golden; set aside to cook.
• Meanwhile, bring pot of salted water to boil in a pot large enough to have water completely cover the cabbage. Core the head of cabbage. Place entire head into the pot of boiling water core side up. Keep water boiling. As the cabbage leaves loosen, pull them using tongs from the water and place them on a baking sheet or rimmed pan to cool Continue and repeat until you have most of the leaves removed or they become too small to use. Take the remaining cabbage center from the water and reserve. Set aside less desirable outer cabbage leaves for use lining the cooking pot. Allow all to cool enough to safely handle.
• Trim the thick vein of each leaf down or cut it out completely and discard.
• Drain 1 pound of sauerkraut; set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the meat, onion, rice, egg, garlic powder, 1/2 cup (4 ounces) of tomato sauce, salt, and pepper. Mix well by hand.
• In another bowl, mix the condensed tomato soup, water, brown sugar, the remaining tomato sauce you did not use in the meat filling mixture (2 ounces), and black pepper together thoroughly; set aside.
• Take a cabbage leaf, turning it so the leaf cups "upward" and place a heaping tablespoon or two of meat mixture on the end of the leaf closest to you. Start to roll the meat in the cabbage leaf, then tuck one side of the leaf in toward the center and finish rolling, Using your finger on the opposite of the fold-over where the loose cabbage is sticking out, tuck the edges into the filling. This makes a tight "package". Place the roll seam side down on a baking tray; repeat until either the cabbage leaves or the meat mixture is used up.
• In a large Dutch oven, place some of the less desirable cabbage leaves you reserved in a layer on the bottom. If you do not have extra leaves, chop up the remaining interior of the cabbage you pulled from the water as the leaves got too small to be usable. This layer helps protect the halupki from scorching while cooking.
• Add a single layer of the cabbage rolls to the pot, keeping the seam side down. You will likely be able to judge how many layers you will have by the number of cabbage rolls on the tray and how many fit in the first layer. Each layer of rolls gets some sauce and a layer of sauerkraut on top of it, so split up your sauce and kraut accordingly. Finish your top layer with some sauce, sauerkraut and, if desired, the four strips of un-cooked bacon across the top.
• Cover the Dutch oven and bring it to boil on the stove top. You might need to place a heat-proof plate on top of the rolls to keep them submerged in the sauce. Reduce the heat and gently simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the cabbage is tender. ALTERNATELY, bake, covered, in a 350F degree oven for about 2 hours or until the cabbage is tender OR in a slow-cooker on LO for 5 to 6 hours or until the cabbage is tender. Cook time depends on the size of the rolls and the cabbage used.