Golabki (cabbage roll)

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Lower in the whole cabbage, cover, and cook until the leaves soften enough to peel away, about 3 minutes. Lift out the cabbage and leave it until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.
2. Peel off 18 whole leaves, cutting out any thick central ribs, and set them aside. Chop the rest of the cabbage and spread it over the base of a casserole dish.
3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the onion until tender, 5 to 10 minutes, then leave it to cool.
4. Stir the onion, beef, pork, rice, garlic, 1 tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper together in a large bowl.
5. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
6. Put about ½ cup of the meat mixture on a cabbage leaf, roll it up while folding the sides in like an envelope, and repeat with the remaining leaves and filling. Lay the rolls in a layer over the chopped cabbage and season with salt and pepper.
7. Whisk the tomato soup, tomato juice and ketchup together, pour it over the rolls, then cover the dish with foil.
8. Bake until the cabbage is tender and the meat cooked through, about 1 hour.

Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen

• Blanch the cabbage only until the leaves bend enough to peel and roll without splitting.
• Pare down the thick central rib of each leaf so it rolls up neatly and tucks shut.
• Use the rice in the state the recipe asks for, since it drinks up sauce as the rolls bake.
• Line the dish with chopped cabbage to cushion the rolls and stop them catching.