Originally Posted by
lorli
This is probably not the same as everyone ate as children, but it's simple. My mom (and me) made it without a recipe and we called it "Prockas":
Take 1 whole head of cabbage and plunge into boiling water to loosen and soften the leaves. Separate the leaves (I have noticed that the leaves of cabbages have thicker, stiffer veins now, I trim the thick parts off). Keep the middle part whole.
Mix 1/2 - 1 lb ground beef with either a slice of bread soaked in milk and squeezed out OR about 1/2 cup of uncooked rice. Add salt and pepper, about a tablespoon of ketchup, about 1/2 tsp prepared mustard. Knead lightly to combine.
Place a tablespoon of meat mixture onto each leaf and roll up, tucking the sides in as you roll.
Slice up the leftover cabbage (leaves or the center of the cabbage) and slice equal amount of onions (about 2 large?). Place in the bottom of a large pot. Put the meat and cabbage rolls on top, then pour in a large can of chopped stewed tomatoes (or more to cover). Season with salt, pepper, brown sugar and something acidic (my mom used sour salt, I use lemon juice) to taste. Cover and cook on medium low heat until the cabbage is soft and meat is cooked, if there is too much liquid, remove the lid. As my mother said "Takes many hours and much cooking".
My sister hated Prockas and my DH is not impressed but I could eat them every week!
I make a type of stuffed cabbage leaves except I don't stuff them, so much less work but taste the same, at least I think so. Instead of softening the cabbage leaves and rolling the meat stuffing up in the leaves, I just make meatballs-large size-, and then quarter the cabbage along with the core and just add both to the brazing liquid. Doesn't need to cook to long maybe a hour or a little longer, I don't time it. Just poke cabbage with a fork until it seems done. I serve it with mashed potatoes. You can also use green or any color peppers and make unstuffed peppers.