Pigs in a blanket / Stuffed Cabbage!
Pricing;
Cabbage Head – 2.34 (Mine was free)
Minute Rice – 1.88 (Bagged rice is cheaper. I’m lazy.)
Ground Beef – Around $5. (I used 97 lean.)
1 Onion – .60
1 Can Condensed tomato soup – .57
Egg – I’m not sure how to price this. I always have tons of eggs in my fridge.
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Measurements;
2/3 cup water
1 cup cooked rice
8 Cabbage Leaves
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 can condensed tomato soup
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Cook rice and set aside.
Bring a large, wide saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add cabbage leaves and cook for 2 to 4 minutes or until softened; drain.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, 1 cup cooked rice, onion, egg, salt and pepper, along with 2 tablespoons of tomato soup. Mix thoroughly.
Divide the beef mixture evenly among the cabbage leaves. Roll and secure them with toothpicks or string.
In a large skillet over medium heat, place the cabbage rolls and pour the remaining tomato soup over the top. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring and basting with the liquid often.
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-To make this cheaper and vegetarian friendly, you can skip the ground beef. I haven’t made this version but I am sure you could add other ingredients and seasonings to give the rice more flavor.
-I just use minute rice to make my life easier
-Be careful not to overly cook the cabbage leaves in water in the beginning. You just want them soft enough to roll the meat with. They will cook more in the pan later
-Run cabbage under hot water of leaves stick too much. You want to try and pull them off in sheets with the least amount of tears as possible.
-I just make a bunch of rice at once, measure out what I need and then use the rest for other recipes later. We like rice in this house.
-Alternately from tomato soup, you can also use a mixture of water and vinegar. I don’t know the measurements on this – my grandmother goes by eye measurements – So water in a quart pant and 1-1.5 to 2 inches of vinegar.
-Can serve with more fried onions on top.
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The story! My family celebrated two Christmas’, one being Russian Orthodox. On January Seventh, we eat a dinner of baked fish, stuffed cabbage, pierogies and other traditional meals from the countries where our ancestors originated from. It’s said that on the boat to America, my family members had little to eat and one of the only things they had readily available was onions – coincidentally, they are ony of the only families to never get sick during their voyage. So during the supper, we top all of our foods with fried onions as a sign of good health and luck.