The second best cabbage rolls in the world

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 head of white cabbage
• 400 g minced meat, mixed
• 200 g minced meat
• 300 ml chicken stock
• 3 onions
• 2 eggs
• 7 tbsp oil
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp caraway seeds
• 4 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 200 ml whipped cream
• 80 g apples, dried
• 200 ml cider
• 1 tbsp Calvados
• 4 bay leaves
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 2 hours 20 minutes

Boil plenty of water in a large pot. Cut a wedge-shaped section out of the thick stalk of the white cabbage and firmly pierce the end with a meat fork. Immerse the cabbage in the boiling water, gradually removing 12 leaves and cook in the water for another 5-8 minutes. Refresh in cold water and drain well. Cut out the thick leaf ribs in a wedge shape. Roughly chop the dried apples, ideally in a food processor. Pick the parsley leaves, add them to the apples and chop them together. Roast the fennel seeds and caraway seeds in a pan without fat until light yellow, then crush them finely in a mortar and pestle. Finely dice 1 onion and sauté in 3 tablespoons of oil until translucent. Place the minced meat, ground beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, fennel seeds, caraway seeds, apple mixture, diced onion and 100 ml of heavy cream in a bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper and mix with your hands until smooth. Cook a test dumpling in the cabbage water if you are unsure about the amount of salt and do not want to try the mixture raw. Place two cabbage leaves on top of each other on a cloth, facing each other. Fill with approximately 1/6 of the meat mixture, fold the protruding leaf edges over the meat mixture and seal tightly with the cloth. Carefully remove the filled cabbage leaves from the cloth and set aside with the seam facing down. Slice two onions and fry in a hot roasting pan with 4 tablespoons of oil until light brown. Place the cabbage rolls in the roasting pan with the seam facing down. Season with salt and pepper and deglaze with cider. Add the Calvados, chicken stock and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and then cook uncovered in a hot oven at 200°C on the middle rack for 45 minutes. Fan-assisted cooking is not recommended. Mashed potatoes go well with this.