Pete's Unstuffed Sweet & Sour Cabbage
It is not lightly that I post this recipe. This is not a cookbook or kicked around recipe. This is an authentic HEIRLOOM recipe that has been passed down through my family for ages. Each generation has improved and tweaked the recipe slightly (I suggested brown sugar instead of white). Let me know if you enjoy eating this as much as I do!
It is not lightly that I post this recipe. This is not a cookbook or kicked around recipe. This is an authentic HEIRLOOM recipe that has been passed down through my family for ages. Each generation has improved and tweaked the recipe slightly (I suggested brown sugar instead of white). Let me know if you enjoy eating this as much as I do!
- Carbohydrate 88.97091375 g
- Cholesterol 264.79 mg
- Fat 51.8620325 g
- Fiber 13.9496875042766 g
- Protein 50.24133125 g
- Saturated Fat 18.4379975 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (993g)
- Sodium 812.239 mg
- Sugar 75.0212262457234 g
- Trans Fat 7.7368275 g
- Calories 992 calories
Step-by-step
- Use Large Stock Pot and wooden spoon
- Wash cabbage, cut off core. Cut cabbage in half horizontally. Take core out and cut cabbage in 3 inch chunks. Cook sliced onions in oil until translucent. Add can of whole tomatoes, stir and chop slightly with spoon. Add tomato sauce, half of salt, half of pepper and mix. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stir occasionally so it doesn't burn. Then add cabbage and stir and push cabbage down into the sauce. Cover pot and continue to simmer approx 1 hour till you can mix cabbage around in the sauce.
- In large bowl mix ground beef with chopped onion, 1 1/2 level tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 2 eggs, rice, and water. Mix well with hands. If too mushy, add a little more rice. Form golf ball size meat balls and then store briefly in refrigerator to get firmer. Place meatballs on top of cabbage on sauce. Cover and simmer approx 15 minutes till meatballs feel firm. Then gently mix meat balls into sauce. Let pot simmer for approx 45 minutes, then add lemon. Taste for lemon taste, if not add more lemon. Then add raisins, honey, and then sugar a little at time to taste. Cook for another 15 minutes, then mix gently, uncover and remove from heat.
- Try not to eat right away so flavors can infuse. Tastes better when eaten the second day, but don't over heat. Only reheat what you will eat at that sitting.
- This freezes well.
Canned whole tomatoes do the heavy lifting here, providing the acidic backbone and moisture needed to break down dense green cabbage without scorching the bottom of the pot. Too many cooks rush this process, adding the meatballs before the cabbage has softened sufficiently in the simmering tomato base. Precision matters when balancing sweet elements like raisins and honey against sharp lemon juice, requiring careful stepwise tasting rather than dumping everything in at once.
- Refrigerate formed meatballs for at least 20 minutes before adding them to the pot so the raw egg and rice binder can firm up.
- Slice three medium onions uniformly to ensure they sweat down evenly in the vegetable oil within the first 10 minutes of cooking.
- Keep the heat at a low simmer throughout the 3-hour total duration to prevent the natural sugars from burning.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 48 hours, as the flavors meld considerably by the second day.
Scaling this recipe requires caution because the moisture release from four medium onions and two pounds of cabbage will concentrate differently in a smaller vessel. Adjust the sweet and sour components gradually if halving the quantities.
