Polish-style cabbage rolls

Ingredients:

Sweet and sour tomato sauce

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1.5 l. grated tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp. sugar

Cabbage rolls

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• A little dry red wine
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 450 g of ground beef
• 450 g of minced pork
• 1 large egg
• 1.5 cups steamed white rice
• 2 large heads of white cabbage, about 1.3 kg each

Preparation:

1. Sweet and sour tomato sauce:

   
   Pour olive oil into a 3-quart saucepan and place over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and sugar; simmer until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.

2. Cabbage rolls:

   
   Place a frying pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sauté the onion and garlic for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the tomato paste, a splash of wine, parsley, and 0.5 cups of the prepared sweet and sour tomato sauce and stir. Remove from heat. Combine the ground meat in a large bowl. Add the egg, cooked rice, and fried onion. Mix the filling with your hands, season generously with salt and pepper.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Trim any large, damaged outer leaves from the cabbage and set aside. Using a sharp knife, core the heads and carefully remove any remaining leaves, keeping them whole (use the smaller leaves for coleslaw or other garnishes). Blanch the cabbage leaves in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes, or until tender. Then, rinse the leaves with cold water and lay them out so you can estimate how many leaves you'll need to wrap the filling. Next, carefully trim the midrib from each leaf to make it easier to roll. Take the large outer leaves you've set aside and place them in the bottom of the casserole, allowing some of the leaves to hang over the sides. This insulation will prevent the cabbage rolls from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Use all the pretty leaves for the cabbage rolls. Add about 1/2 cup of salt. Place the meat filling in the center of the cabbage leaf and, starting at the wide edge, fold the sides inward and roll the cabbage leaf with the filling into a roll. Place the cabbage rolls side by side, seam side down, in the casserole.
4. Preheat oven to 175°C.
5. Pour the remaining sweet and sour tomato sauce over the cabbage rolls. Fold the hanging leaves over the cabbage rolls. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake for 1 hour, until the meat is cooked through.