My father, Edward Giobbi, created this dish. It is a winner. You won’t need all of the cabbage, only about half, but you will need the large outer leaves. I usually slice up the semiblanched remainder of the cabbage and toss it with a lot of minced garlic, caraway seeds, olive oil, a splash of chicken stock, salt and pepper to taste, and bake around 400 degrees for about 20 minutes until the cabbage is tender. It makes a great accompaniment for duck or brisket. This dish calls for fresh bread crumbs. See my blog post “A Few Homemade Basics” at for how to make your own bread crumbs.
This dish is very light and elegant. I like to serve it with boiled potatoes. It must cook for 1 hour. Serves 4 to 6.
Ingredients
1 large cabbage (about 3 pounds; less is OK)
1 pound ground veal
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2-3 tablespoons raisins
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 large egg, beaten (two egg whites are OK instead)
1 teaspoon dried marjoram (oregano is OK instead)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1 pint home-canned tomato puree (or whole tomatoes in water passed through a food mill, or Pomi)
2 cups warm chicken stock
4 tablespoons chopped flat-leafed parsley for garnish
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Remove 14 leaves from the cabbage. If the cabbage is very tight, boil for about 5 minutes first, and the leaves will come off more easily. Cut off the tough stem end of the leaves.
In a large bowl, combine the veal, bread crumbs, raisins, garlic, egg, marjoram and salt and pepper. I use my hands to combine. At first, the meat will be wet and sticky, but as you incorporate the ingredients, it will become dryer. Roll the meat between your palms to create balls the size of golf balls, and then flatten into an oval.
Have ready a 9-by-13-inch baking pan or two loaf pans. Place a cabbage leaf cup side up, and lay a veal oval inside. Gently roll up the cabbage leaf, tucking in the sides as you roll. Place the cabbage leaf seam side down in the pan. Continue with remaining leaves. For best results, the cabbage leaves should fit snugly in the pan or pans.
Make the sauce: In a medium-size saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. As soon as it wrinkles, add the onion. Saute for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the tomato puree, and heat for about 5 minutes, and then add the chicken stock and heat for 5 minutes more.
Pour the sauce over the stuffed cabbage leaves. Cover the pan or pans with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.
To serve, place 2 or 3 stuffed cabbage leaves on a plate, and spoon some tomato sauce over them. Garnish with the chopped parsley.
