Kristen Kish'S Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

• Cabbage Rolls
• 1 or 2 large green cabbages, enough for 12 to 15 large leaves
• 4 cups of your favorite sauerkraut
• 2 cups tomato juice
• 5 smoked bacon slices (optional)
• Stuffing
• 1 pound ground pork shoulder (Boston butt)
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 tablespoon sweet, smoked, or hot paprika (I like a mix)
• 2 teaspoons ground fennel seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1/4 cup grated white onion
• 1 1/4 cups uncooked white rice
• Kosher salt
• Grapeseed or other neutral oil

1. You'll need 12 to 15 nice large leaves to make these rolls. Gently peel off the outer leaves of the cabbage, then steam these over a pot of boiling water until pliable, roughly 15 minutes. Lay them out on a kitchen towel to cool and dry. Chop up the remaining cabbage (up to 1/2 head) into medium chunks.
2. In a large bowl, mix together with your hands the pork, beef, paprika, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, coriander, black pepper, garlic, onion, and rice, adding a generous sprinkling of salt. Shape a very small patty of the mixture and, in a hot small frying pan lightly coated with oil, cook it for 2 minutes on each side. Taste for salt and adjust your overall mixture accordingly.
3. Preheat the oven to 350u0b0F.
4. Roll up 1/4 cup of the stuffing into each steamed cabbage leaf, like you'd roll a burrito, and tuck each roll into a deep baking dish, seam-side down. Pour a light layer of the sauerkraut juice and all of the tomato juice over the rolls. Insert small pieces of the cabbage heart(s) in between each roll, then top with the sauerkraut and more of its juices: the overall amount to liquid should come three fourths of the way up the cabbage rolls. I like to add some slices of smoked bacon over the top to add flavor while the dish cooks, but it's your choice. Cover tightly with a lid or buttered foil, and bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until tender.

cabbage, green cabbages, favorite sauerkraut, tomato juice, bacon, stuffing, pork shoulder, ground beef, sweet, ground fennel seeds, red pepper, ground coriander, freshly ground black pepper, garlic, grated white onion, white rice, kosher salt, other neutral oil

Taken from food52.com/recipes/73848-kristen-kish-s-stuffed-cabbage-rolls (may not work)