Cabbage rolls

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 white cabbage
• 1 pack of bacon cubes
• 500 g minced meat
• 3 eggs
• 1 onion(s)
• 4 tbsp, heaped breadcrumbs
• some pepper
• some salt
• some paprika powder
• some mustard
• 1 shot of seltzer
• some sugar
• broth
• some sauce thickener or flour with water

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 45 minutes

Filling: Place the ground meat in a large bowl, dice the onions, and add them. Add the eggs, breadcrumbs, mustard, pepper, salt, and paprika. Add the seasonings to taste. Add a small splash of seltzer to loosen the mixture a bit. You can either make 2 large cabbage rolls from this amount, or, as I did, 4 small ones. Place the white cabbage in a large pot of water; the cabbage should be completely covered. Bring the water to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes, until the leaves can be easily peeled off the cabbage. Peel off the leaves, shape the minced meat dough into an oval, and wrap it with the cabbage leaves. Depending on the size of the dough and/or the leaves, you may need more than one leaf for wrapping. Wrap the meat parcel with cooking twine or simple string and tie it. For the sauce, chop the remaining white cabbage and fry it in a large pot with butter, margarine, or oil. Add the bacon cubes to the pot. Brown everything together, then deglaze with stock, season with pepper, salt, and a pinch of sugar. Cover and simmer over low heat. After about 20 minutes, thicken the sauce with a sauce thickener, or (I prefer this) put flour and water in a blender, shake well, and use this to thicken the sauce. Brown the cabbage rolls on both sides in a pan with oil, butter, or margarine. It’s best not to use the heat too high, as otherwise the cabbage can burn quickly. Then add the rolls to the pot with the sauce. Reduce the heat to low with the lid on and let everything simmer for a while. It tastes even better the second day because everything has marinated well. Serve with potatoes or mashed potatoes.