You can make these two ways, with a meat filling or vegetarian. The meat one below is adapted from Provence, the Beautiful Cookbook by Richard Olney (Welden Owen 1994). I simplified the original recipe which requires the cook to make sausage meat and tomato sauce from scratch. Instead I used good quality pork sausages and a can of diced tomatoes in their juice (you can use plain mince but it will require more seasoning). The rice filling is similar to the greek rice filling for stuffed vegetables.

cabbage rolls

• 1 large cabbage
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes in their juice (from a can)
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

Meat stuffing

• 1/4 cup long grain rice, parboiled for 15 minutes and drained
• 150 gm (about 3) good quality 98% pork sausages squeezed out of their casings (or mince)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp salt and pepper if you are using mince

Mix ingredients together until well incorporated

Rice stuffing (vegetarian)

• 1/2 cup rice, parboiled for 10 minutes
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes in their juice
• 1 small onion diced finely and sauteed in oil until soft
• 1/4 cup currants
• 1/4 cup pinenuts or sunflower seeds
• A handful of chopped mint and parsley
• 1 egg
• salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together

to assemble the rolls

1. Remove the first few cabbage leaves until you get down to tightly packed blemish free leaves.
2. With a small sharp knife carefully cut the first leaf free from the stalk at the base of the leaf and gently remove it in one piece trying not to tear it. Repeat with 10 more leaves
3. Pare down the thick ribs until they are flush with the rest of the leaf
4. Place leaves in a large pot and pour boiling water over. Bring back to the boil and remove after a few seconds. They should be soft and pliable.
5. Lay the first cabbage leaf outer face down (so it curls towards you) with the stem end facing you. Place a handful of the filling near the stem end and roll up to a third of the way to the top, fold in the outer edges and continue to roll. Place in a baking dish that will fit them snugly
6. Cook the garlic in the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pot until fragrant then add the tomato, wine and stock. Bring to the boil and reduce by a third. Remove from the heat.
7. Pack the rolls into the pot on top of the tomato/wine/stock mixture. Spoon some of the liquid over the top. Bring back to the boil, reduce to a slow simmer. Cover and cook the rolls for half an hour, turning halfway through.