Kohlrouladen (German Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)

Ingredients

• 1 white cabbage, large
• 300 g ground beef
• 300 g ground pork
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 egg
• 60 g breadcrumbs
• 5⅓ tbsp milk
• 150 g bacon, in thin rashers
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 dl beef stock
• 1 tsp cornstarch

Method

1. 1.

   Soften the cabbage leaves — Cut the core out of the cabbage and lower the whole head into a large pot of boiling salted water. Simmer for 10 minutes, peeling off the outer leaves with tongs as they soften; you need 8 large intact leaves. Pare the thick rib of each one flat.

2. 2.

   Mix the meat filling — Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk for 5 minutes. Mix them with the beef, pork, onion, egg, thyme, half the paprika, the salt and pepper, kneading with your hands until the filling is sticky and even.

3. 3.

   Roll and wrap the parcels — Lay a heaped spoonful of filling on the stem end of each leaf, fold the sides in and roll up tightly into a parcel. Wrap each roll in a rasher of bacon or tie it with kitchen string so it holds together.

4. 4.

   Brown the rolls — Heat the oil in a wide casserole and brown the rolls seam-side down first, turning until coloured all over, about 8 minutes. Lift them out onto a plate.

5. 5.

   Braise them slowly — Stir the tomato paste and remaining paprika into the fat and let them toast for a minute, then pour in the stock and scrape the base clean. Return the rolls seam down, cover and braise over a bare simmer for 1 hour, turning once.

6. 6.

   Thicken the sauce — Lift the rolls out and keep them warm. Boil the braising liquid hard for a few minutes to concentrate it, whisk in the cornstarch slaked in cold water and simmer until it just coats a spoon. Taste for salt.

7. 7.

   Glaze and plate up — Return the rolls to the sauce to glaze them, then serve two per person with boiled potatoes or mashed potato and plenty of the sauce.