1 chopped onion
1 can (48-oz) tomato juice
1 can (15-oz) tomato sauce
2 Tablespoons vinegar/lemon juice OR 1/2 teaspoon sour salt
3 Tablespoons loose packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup raw rice
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1 fine chopped medium onion
2 lightly beaten eggs
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs soaked water
1/4 teaspoon or more black pepper
1 teaspoon or more salt
1 medium head of cabbage
In large bowl, knead the beef, onion, egg, rice, bread crumbs, salt and pepper with your hands until well combined. Cut around the cabbage core to loosen the leaves. Blanch the head in a large pot of boiling water, removing the leaves with tongs as they soften. Or freeze the head in a brown paper bag for four days to make the leaves pliable. Drain leaves, inverted and in sequence if reshaping the whole head.
When cool enough to handle, trim off the tough spine and chop it, along with any tough outer leaves and the tight center, for the sauce. Meanwhile, make the sauce in a large non-reactive, stainless steel or enamel pan. Combine the onion, tomato juice and tomato sauce and bring to a boil, cooking about 20 minutes to thicken slightly. Add any cabbage scraps, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and alter seasoning as needed. Put about 2 tablespoons of filling on each leaf and roll up from the base. After the first fold, tuck sides in and continue rolling until you have a neat tight log. Place the rolls seam side down in a casserole. Pour sauce over rolls and cover. Individual cabbage rolls can be baked about 2 hours or cooked slowly on top of the stove, also about 2 hours.
To stuff a whole head of cabbage, spread 2 tablespoon of meat on each leaf and, starting with the biggest, lay 4 or 5 leaves in a circle on the counter. Continue working toward the center, staggering the leaves a bit so the head looks real. Loop kitchen string around the outside a couple of times, drawing it up tight, and put the head in a deep casserole before pouring the sauce over it and covering. Bake the whole head of cabbage at 375 degrees about 2 1/2-3 hours, or until very tender. Check the pan frequently to see if additional water is needed. Before serving, taste for adequate seasoning. It may need a little more salt, sugar or vinegar. Tastes better the second day.