Classic Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

From the garden

• 1 head green cabbage, cored — a large head — you need about 12 good leaves
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped, divided between filling and sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

From the pantry

• 1 lb ground beef
• ½ cup long-grain white rice, rinsed — uncooked — it cooks in the rolls
• 1 egg
• 1 can crushed canned tomatoes — 28-oz can
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• salt — to taste
• black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Lower in the cored cabbage and simmer 5–8 minutes, peeling off the outer leaves with tongs as they soften and loosen. You want about 12 pliable leaves; shave down the thick center rib of each with a knife so they roll easily.
2. Mix the filling: ground beef, rinsed rice, half the onion, the garlic, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and plenty of black pepper. Work it together lightly — overmixing makes the filling dense.
3. Stir together the sauce: crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, sugar, vinegar, the remaining onion, bay leaf, and a pinch of salt. Spread a third of it over the bottom of a Dutch oven or deep baking dish.
4. Set a scant 1/4 cup of filling near the stem end of each leaf, fold in the sides, and roll into a snug parcel. Nestle the rolls seam-side down in the pot in a tight single layer (a second layer is fine) and pour the remaining sauce over.
5. Cover and bake at 350°F (or simmer very gently on the stove) for about 90 minutes, until the cabbage is silky, the rice is tender, and the filling reaches 160°F. Let the rolls rest 10 minutes in the sauce before serving.
6. Serve two or three rolls per plate with plenty of sauce spooned over.