Stuffed Cabbage (ukrainian Prockus)

Total Time: 3 hrs Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients

• 2 (16 ounce) cans jellied cranberry sauce (jelled not whole)
• 2 (16 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 2 cups tap water
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup raisins
• 2 heads green cabbage
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 3/4 cup raw rice
• 1 egg
• 3 saltine crackers (soaked & squeezed)
• 1 medium onion (grated)
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• salt and pepper

Recipe

• 1 combine the cranberry sauce, tomato sauce, 2 cups tap water and brown sugar and bring to boil.
• 2 reduce to a simmer and add raisins.
• 3 simmer 5 minutes.
• 4 core the heads of cabbage and place into a large pot.
• 5 cover with boiling water.
• 6 cover the pot and cook 10 to 15 minutes.
• 7 remove from hot water.
• 8 then cover the cabbage with cold water and separate the leaves.
• 9 you may have to replace the inner half of the cabbage into the hot water, in order to soften the rest of the leaves.
• 10 when the rest of the cabbage is done, place that into the cold water and separate those leaves.
• 11 in a mixing bowl place the raw ground meat, raw rice, 1 egg, 3 saltine crackers that are soaked and squeezed dry, graded onion, 1/4 cup warm water, 1 tablespoon ketchup, salt and pepper to taste.
• 12 after mixing the meat mixture well, fill the cabbage leaves with the meat mixture, rolling them closed, and place the large golf ball sized balls into a deep roasting pan.
• 13 cover with the tomato sauce mixture.
• 14 cover the pan with the lid or with heavy duty aluminum foil and bake in pre-heated 375 degree oven for 1 hour.
• 15 remove the cover and continue to bake at 375 degrees for an additional hour.
• 16 you can either serve immediately or freeze until needed.