Cabbage Wrapped Deliciousness

These wrapped goodies are delicious! My daughter Adriana gave them the name, not me. The process is a little long but worth all the time. True!

Ingredients

• 1 really big cabbage head
• 1 large pot with enough water to cover the cabbage
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, small chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 14.5 ounces canned cubed organic tomatoes
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 5 cups cooked rice

Procedure

Add the 2 tablespoons of salt to water, cover, and let it boil.
Cut a deep square at the root of the cabbage and place it inside the boiling water attached to a long sturdy fork.

Check regularly to detach each leave as it becomes pliable, you do not want them mushy, 22 leaves are needed. This will take about half an hour.

Meanwhile add the olive oil to a large pan, turn heat to medium and add the chopped onions and the garlic.
When they start to release their delicious fragrance add the whole contents of the canned tomatoes, juice and all.

Stir and let them cook until they are almost dry, about 15 minutes.
Add ground beef and with a wooden bent spatula, work meat into the tomato onion mixture until there is no more raw meat and no lumps of meat.
Add the teaspoon of salt.
Leave this mixture to cook, stirring ocasionally until it is almost dry, about 15 minutes.

In a big bowl place the meat mixture, the 5 cups of rice and mix thoroughly.

Build each cabbage wrap with 1/2 cup of meat mixture.

Fold them as shown in the next three pictures:



Have the Chinese steam cooker ready in a pan with 4 cups of water mixed with half cup of soy sauce, enough to cover the bottom of the steamer.

Fill the bottom and the top of the steamer with the 22 cabbage wraps and cover.


Cook at medium low heat for about half an hour enough to heat them through and wilt the cabbage leaves a little more.
Serve two or three wraps with a little of the remaining soy sauce.
I always place additional soy sauce on the table.