Kholishkes or Jewish-Style Cabbage Rolls

Kholishkes, or Jewish-style cabbage rolls, are very ancient and are prepared according to various recipes in Jewish communities in the Middle East and Europe. The filling is meant to symbolize abundance.

Ingredients:

– Lean ground beef – 1 kg

– Long-grain rice – 75 g

– Onion (4 heads; 2 for chopping, 2 for slicing into rings)

– Garlic cloves – 5-8, finely chopped

– Eggs – 2

– Water – 3 tbsp

– Large head of white cabbage – 1

– Cans of chopped tomatoes (400g each) – 2

– Sugar – 3 tbsp

– White wine or apple vinegar, or lemon juice – 3 tbsp

– Ground cinnamon – to taste

– Salt and ground black pepper – to taste

– Lemon wedges for serving

Preparation:

1. Take the ground beef, cooked rice, 1 tsp of salt, pepper, chopped onion (2 heads), and garlic. Mix everything thoroughly. Beat the eggs with water and add the beaten eggs to the meat mixture. Mix everything again and chill.

2. In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Meanwhile, cut the core from the cabbage. Submerge the cabbage head without the core into the boiling water and blanch it for 1-2 minutes. After removing the cabbage from the water, you can easily separate a few leaves. Repeat the blanching process until no leaves remain on the head.

3. Preheat the oven to 150°C. Shape the meat mixture into oval patties, no larger than a small lemon. Wrap each patty in one or two cabbage leaves, ensuring the patties are completely covered.

4. In a heatproof dish, layer the kholishkes or cabbage rolls. Alternate the layers with onion rings. Pour the chopped tomatoes over the top. Add sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Cover the dish with a lid and bake for 2 hours.

5. While baking, be sure to take the rolls out of the oven 2 or 3 times to spoon tomato sauce over them as needed. After 2 hours of baking, remove the lid and continue baking for an additional 30-60 minutes. The rolls are ready when the tomato sauce thickens and lightly browns on top.