Stuffed Cabbage with Dried Cranberries & Pecans

There is a recipe for Stuffed Cabbage with Dried Cranberries & Pecans on "No Eating Out In New York" that I just had to share because the dish looks really DELICIOUS!

Stuffed Cabbage with Dried Cranberries & Pecans
(makes about 4 servings)

1 head green cabbage
1 lb ground beef
about 1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 small carrot (or parsnip), finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
about 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce (preferably your own homemade, or substitute with a can of whole plum tomatoes, crushed up by hand)
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat the oil in a skillet and cook the onion, carrot and celery over medium heat for 6-8 minutes, or until translucent. Add the garlic in the last couple minutes of cooking, and season with a pinch of salt and pepper as you stir.

Bring a stockpot of water to boil, enough to fully submerge the head of cabbage. Slice the stem from the cabbage and remove the dirty outer leaves. Blanch the whole head in the water for 1 minute; remove with tongs. Carefully peel the leaves from the head without tearing them too much. If you reach a point where this becomes difficult since the leaves are not blanched, blanch the head in water again. Set aside the good, full, and only slightly torn leaves from the ones that are all shredded up and useless. Finely shred the useless leaves and arrange them in an even layer at the bottom of a square casserole tray.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with the beaten egg and milk. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and let sit 5 minutes. Add the sauteed vegetables and the ground beef. Season well with salt and pepper and stir by hand until evenly distributed.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a lump of about 1/4 cup of meat filling mixture at the base of one (“good”) cabbage leaf. Fold in the sides (as you would a burrito) and roll it up. Repeat with the remaining leaves and arrange in the casserole dish. Pour tomato sauce over cabbage rolls. Bake uncovered for 40-50 minutes. Let sit, covered, for at least 30 minutes or until juices have settled, and serve.