Halupsi

Cabbage
1 large head of green cabbage (about 2 pounds)

Sauce
1 - 46 ounce can tomato juice
6 cups reserved cabbage stock
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper to taste (use liberally)

Stuffing
2 large onions coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 cup uncooked rice
1 large carrot peeled and grated
1 large clove garlic crushed
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1 teaspoon salt

Topping
2 small can condensed tomato soup
1 can water or evaporated milk


Cabbage Preparation
Core the cabbage. Blanch it in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Remove from the pot and gently peel off the outer leaves (12 to 16). If the inner leaves are still too stiff to be removed, return the cabbage to the boiling water for another minute or so. Remove the rib of these leave to make them easier to fold. Continue until all the leaves have been removed. Use the small inner leaves or any damaged ones to line the bottom and sides of a large Dutch oven. If there are any leaves left after this, dice them up and lay on the bottom. This will keep the cabbage rolls from burning. Reserve about six cups of cabbage stock for later use.

Stuffing
In a heavy bottomed frying pan, sauté the onions with olive or vegetable oil until they are soft. Stir occasionally to make sure the onions don't stick to the pan. Set aside to cool. Prepare the filling in a large bowl thoroughly mixing together the ground beef, raw rice, carrot, cooled onions, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper. Starting with the largest leaves – Place a mound of the filling along the center of one leaf. Slide the bottom of a second leaf under the stuffing closing both leaves loosely around the stuffing mixture until the finished product resembles a small to medium sized head of cabbage. Do not roll tightly so that you leave room for the rice to expand. Place heads on the bed of diced and loose cabbage leaves in the Dutch oven seam side down leaving a little space between each roll to allow for the stuffing mixture to expand. Continue until all the filling has been used. There will be about 6 to 8 rolls.

Sauce
In a large saucepan heat the tomato juice and cabbage stock. Stir in the lemon juice, brown sugar, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Pour over the cabbage rolls, almost covering them. Cover the pot and bake at 350 degrees for 2 1/2 hours.

Topping
Mix 1 can of water or evaporated milk with condensed tomato soup and pour over the top of each roll. Reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake for 30 more minutes, or until cabbage is soft.