Story submitted by Eric & Joyce Wald.
The Story Behind the Recipe:
This treasured recipe has been handed down through many generations and loved by all. Our great grandmother Minnie Roth (1873-1957) was born in Europe and settled in Farrell PA as a young woman. She brought with her a love of cooking and many wonderful recipes. One favorite has long been her stuffed cabbage. I grew up watching my mother Connie Caplan Berland (Minnie’s granddaughter) stuffing cabbage leaves and listening to her stories. Her mother, Mollie Molasky Caplan, was known as the best cook and hostess in Sharon PA’s Jewish community. She brought the stuffed cabbage to a new level. When my mother began making the recipe, she simplified it by using canned sauerkraut and canned tomatoes and tomato sauce. Growing up our family gatherings always included stuffed cabbage. And, for our own children Sara, David, and Abby a trip to Florida to visit their grandparents was never complete without Grandma Connie’s stuffed cabbage. Now, it is my turn to carry on this treasured recipe and today our sixth generation grandchildren are loving this delicious tradition at our family gatherings.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
32 oz. Diced tomatoes
32 oz tomato sauce
1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup white sugar
Raisins to taste, 1 small jar of jelly
For a layer: 1-2 heads of cabbage
1 little chopped onion
2 cans sauerkraut, undrained
For the filling:
2 lb. Ground beef
½ cup rise, 1 egg
Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions:
For the sauce: Heat tomatoes, tomato sauce, brown sugar, white sugar, raisin & jelly. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally. Set aside or refrigerate to use the next day.
For the Cabbage and Filling: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Immerse the head of cabbage in the water until leaves pull away easily. Set aside to roll.
Chop remaining cabbage. For the filling: combine ground chuck , egg, rice, salt & pepper and a little sauce to moisten.
To assemble: put filling in cabbage, roll up, tucking in sides. Place some of sauce in the bottom of baking dish. Place rolls on top & sprinkle with onion & cabbage, then top with sauerkraut. Add more sauce. Place another layer of rolls cabbage and sauerkraut and top with sauce.
Bake covered about 3 hours or as needed. Best eaten the next day.
For the sauce:
32 oz. Diced tomatoes
32 oz tomato sauce
1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup white sugar
Raisins to taste, 1 small jar of jelly
For a layer: 1-2 heads of cabbage
1 little chopped onion
2 cans sauerkraut, undrained
For the filling:
2 lb. Ground beef
½ cup rise, 1 egg
Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions:
For the sauce: Heat tomatoes, tomato sauce, brown sugar, white sugar, raisin & jelly. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally. Set aside or refrigerate to use the next day.
For the Cabbage and Filling: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Immerse the head of cabbage in the water until leaves pull away easily. Set aside to roll.
Chop remaining cabbage. For the filling: combine ground chuck , egg, rice, salt & pepper and a little sauce to moisten.
To assemble: put filling in cabbage, roll up, tucking in sides. Place some of sauce in the bottom of baking dish. Place rolls on top & sprinkle with onion & cabbage, then top with sauerkraut. Add more sauce. Place another layer of rolls cabbage and sauerkraut and top with sauce.
Bake covered about 3 hours or as needed. Best eaten the next day.