Cabbage Rolls on a Tray
1 medium-sized cabbage
Ingredients for the Filling
- 300 gr. ground beef
1 cup of sunflower oil
Salt
1 generous bunch of chopped parsley
- ½ cup of water
3-4 tablespoons of sunflower oil
Salt
Yogurt
Remove the outer leaves from the cabbage and cut off any remaining leaves. Note: If you are using a large, flat cabbage, you can use a quarter of it.
Add water to your pot and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, add the cabbage leaves and blanch for 2 minutes.
Pour cold water into a mixing bowl. Drain the blanched cabbage leaves using a colander and place them in the cold water to stop the cooking process. Remove the central veins from the cabbage leaves and set them aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the ground meat, rinsed and drained rice, sunflower oil, finely chopped onion, crushed garlic, tomato paste, red pepper paste, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, dried mint, finely chopped parsley, and water. Mix well.
Remove the blanched cabbage leaves, drain off excess water, and place them on a plate. Take each cabbage leaf one by one onto your counter and gently press down on the veins with the side of a knife. Fill the cabbage leaves with the prepared filling and roll them up thinly, leaving the edges open. Shape the first rolled cabbage leaf like a rose pastry and place it in the center of your round glass baking dish.
Prepare the remaining leaves and filling in the same way, and continue wrapping them around the cabbage you placed in the center.
In a mixing bowl, combine tomato paste, water, sunflower oil, salt, and pepper, stirring until the paste is smooth. Pour the prepared tomato paste mixture over the stuffed grape leaves.
Place a piece of parchment paper, cut into a circle and with a hole in the center, over the prepared cabbage. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 50 minutes. Then remove the parchment paper and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes.
Transfer the cooked cabbage rolls to a serving plate and drizzle with yogurt before serving.
