Easy homemade Cabbage Rolls or Golubtsi

Peeling and grating the carrots on the coarse side of a mandolin, fry them in a frying pan with olive oil over medium-high heat until soft, around 5 minutes.

Add the crushed tomato to the pan and rinse the can with water, adding that as well. Bring it to a boil and reduce the tomato sauce until the bottom of the pan is visible when scraped with a spatula, approximately 10 minutes.

Adjust the acidity by adding salt and baking soda if necessary. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let it cool.

Finely brunoise the onion and caramelize it in a skillet over medium-high heat for about 15 minutes.

In a saucepan of boiling water, add jasmine rice and bay leaves, boiling for approximately 6 minutes until it breaks when pressed but remains firm.

Activate the neutral gelatin by combining it with 100 ml of hot water in a bowl and let it sit for 5 minutes. Dissolve the gelatin by microwaving it in 10-second intervals until it becomes liquid again.

In a bowl, combine minced pork, minced veal, rice, caramelized onion, 4 tablespoons of tomato sauce, panko, and gelatin. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 30 minutes.

Remove the cores from two heads of cabbage. Place one head of cabbage in a large saucepan, cover with water, remove it, and bring the pan to a boil over high heat.

Add a pinch of salt to the boiling water and blanch the cabbage head for 1 minute. Using tongs, remove the leaves that come loose. Reserve the core for another purpose. Repeat with the second cabbage head.

Make the rolls by using a cabbage leaf and a spoonful of stuffing mixture.

Arrange the outer leaves of the cabbage head at the base of a casserole or baking dish, then add some tomato sauce. Cover with the rolls and top each one with tomato sauce. Repeat the layers with the remaining rolls, finishing with a layer of cabbage leaves.

Cover the casserole or dish with aluminium foil and place it in a preheated oven at 160°C, with heat only from the top, for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the cabbage is tender.

Allow the rolls to rest, covered, outside the oven for 15 minutes before serving.

Serve with sour cream and fresh dill as a finishing touch. Enjoy!