Delicious Stuffed Cabbage

Photo: Mimi Cooks

Ingredients

1 medium Cabbage

1 1/2 cups ground beef or ground lamb

1 medium diced onion

1 cup short grain rice

Garlic, you need few whole garlic cloves peeled and some minced.

inch Optional, you may use whole head of garlic with the peel between the layers

2 teaspoons to 3 of the following spices: Cumin, Caraway, Cooking oil

1 cup Lemon juice

1 cup water or as needed

Preparation

Wash and drain rice

Mix up the ground meat, diced onions and rice; add cooking oil and the spices (Cumin, Caraway, Coriander, Salt and Black Pepper) set aside.

Prepare your cabbage leaves by separating the leaves from the cabbage head. Cut away stems, save them and use them at the bottom of the pot.

Boil the leaves a few at a time in boiling salted water until they are soft enough to roll.

Prepare stuffing of meat, rice, salt, pepper and the above spices

Cut the leaves to form a cigar size roll. Place stuffing on each leaf, fold sides toward center and roll up from bottom into a cigar shape (similar with stuffed vine leaves). Do not over stuff; make sure that you have space for the rice to expand inside the cabbage rolls.

Press together firmly. Place layer of the saved stems

Place the whole garlic heads in between the rolled Malfouf.

Sprinkle with salt, caraway and cumin in between layers. Add water, boil then simmer for an hour to an hour and a half. Half way through the cooking time add crushed garlic on top. Let simmer. Simmer gently until rice is tender in barely enough water to cover. Invert your pot in a platter

You may serve this dish hot or at room temperature, depends on your personal taste.