pigs in a blanket

I used to eat these a lot growing up and forgot about them until we had a large head of cabbage that needed to be used.

When I suggested making Pigs in a Blanket, Brian thought I meant the hotdog version so he was confused (since I don’t eat hot dogs).

It is a bit of a process to make this recipe, but they’re good and the recipe makes a lot, so it’s great for a meal where you want to have leftovers.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ kilos (3 pounds) extra lean ground beef
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• ½ teaspoon, salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 2 cups white rice, cooked and cooled
• 1 large cabbage
• 5-6 large tomatoes, peeled and crushed
• 4 cups homemade chicken broth
• Olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 160° C (325° F)
2. Coat large roasting pan with olive oil and set aside
3. Wilt head of cabbage in large pot of boiling water for 5 minutes
4. Remove cabbage from pot, cool slightly and separate leaves, taking care not to break the leaves
5. Mix ground beef, cooked rice, garlic, salt, paprika, cumin, oregano and pepper.
6. Form 3-inch balls
7. Place meatball into cabbage leaf and fold leaf around the ball.
8. Place into roasting pan, folded side down
9. Repeat until all filling is used
10. Cover cabbage rolls with crushed tomatoes
11. Pour chicken broth over the rolls
12. Cover roasting pan and bake for 2 hours or until cabbage is tender

Tips and Modifications:

1. Top with hot sauce and/or cheese
2. You can omit the cumin and replace with a teaspoon of basil and ½ teaspoon of rosemary for an Italian flavor; top with cheese and/or ketchup.