Sweet and Sour Cabbage Rolls (Recipe)

These are delicious and might remind you of your grandmother's cooking.  Substitute cooked ground beef for the ham, if you prefer.

Ingredients

1 large head of green cabbage (about 2 pounds)

3 cups ground cooked ham

4 scallions, finely chopped

3 tablespoons converted white rice

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 (28 ounce) can diced peeled tomatoes

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup golden or dark raisins

Steps

1.  Rinse the core the cabbage.  Carefully remove 8 large outer leaves from the cabbage.  In a large pot of boiling water boil these cabbage leaves about 5 to 7 minutes, or just until limp.  Remove and drain well on paper towels.

2.  Meanwhile, shred or chop the remaining cabbage and place in the bottom of a 5 quart electric slow cooker.  In a medium bowl, combine the ground ham, scallions, rice, and pepper.  In a separate bowl, mix together the tomatoes with their liquid and the tomato paste until thoroughly blended.  Stir 1/2 cup of the tomato mixture into the ham and rice.

3.  Arrange the cabbage leaves on a flat surface with the stem toward you.  Divide the ham mixture evenly among the 8 leaves, placing it near the stem end.  Fold in the sides of the cabbage leaves over the meat and carefully roll up.

4.  Place the filled cabbage rolls on top of the shredded cabbage in the slow cooker.  Stir the lemon juice, brown sugar, and raisins into the remaining tomato mixture and spoon over the top of the rolls and alongside so it seeps into the bottom of the cooker.

5. Cover and cook on the low heat setting 6 to 7 hours, or until the rice in the rolls is tender (the rolls should still be intact and not falling apart).  Carefully remove the cooked rolls and serve with the shredded cabbage and sauce.

NOTE:  To grind the ham easily, cut it into 1-inch chunks and place in a food processor. Process in pulses just until ground; do not puree to a paste.