Italian-Style Stuffed Cabbage

Instructions

1. 1

   In a saucepan, place the whole cabbage. Cover three quarters up with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 25 minutes. Drain and let cool.

2. 2

   Cook the pasta in boiling salted water. Drain well. Set aside. Oil lightly to keep the pasta from sticking.

3. 3

   Preheat the oven to 180° C (350 °F).

4. 4

   In a saucepan, sauté the leek in the olive oil for about 2 minutes. Add the fennel, garlic, bell pepper and mushrooms. Sauté the vegetables over high heat until their moisture evaporates and they brown lightly. Remove the vegetables and let cool in a bowl. Add cooked pasta, meat, herbs and egg. Blend well. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. In the same pan, add the tomatoes and white wine.

5. 5

   Place the cabbage on a flat work surface. Carefully open the cabbage, leaf by leaf, without detaching them from the heart. Open about a dozen leafs. You must remove enough leaves to be able to then close the cabbage on the stuffing. With a knife, remove the core of the cabbage and keep it for soup.

6. 6

   Stuff the centre of the cabbage leaves and close over the filling to reshape the cabbage. You can tie with a string, if needed.

7. 7

   Place the cabbage in the tomato sauce in the pan. Cover and bake for about 1 hour.

8. 8

   Cut into wedges and serve with the tomato sauce.