Greek cabbage rolls

For the cabbage rolls

• Place a pot with water on heat, add salt, and let it boil.
• Cut the stem of the cabbage and then, put the cabbage inside the pot with the stem side facing down.
• With a ladle, remove the outer leaves of the cabbage slowly and carefully. Follow the same process for 10-15 minutes until we remove all of the leaves.
• Transfer the leaves onto a baking pan to drain and cool.

For the stuffing

• In a bowl, add the ground beef, rice, and cumin.
• Finely chop the onion, garlic, and add them to the bowl with the ground beef.
• Finely chop the dill, mint, parsley, and add them to the bowl. Keep their stems aside.
• Add salt, pepper, olive oil, and mix well.

To assemble

• Take the stems of the herbs and place them on the pot’s bottom.
• Cover the stems with 2-3 cabbage leaves. It would be better to use the smallest or the most “broken” leaves.
• • Take one cabbage leaf and cut the central nerve with a knife. Add 1 tablespoon of the filling and roll. Follow the same process for the rest of the leaves.
• Place the cabbage rolls into the pot, one next to the other. Make sure that you do not leave a gap between them, so they do not open while boiling.
• ΚCover with a few cabbage leaves and place a dish on top in order to keep the cabbage rolls stable.
• Fill the pot with water up to the dish’s height level. Transfer over medium heat and boil for 1 ½ hours. While they are boiling, if needed, refill the water. You need to always keep the water level up to the dish.

For the sauce

• Place a pot on heat and add the butter.
• As soon as it melts, add the flour and sauté.
• Add the water in batches, by constantly stirring with a hand whisk until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat.
• Add the bouillon cube, the lemon zest and juice, pepper, olive oil, and mix.

To serve

• Spread the sauce over the cabbage rolls, add finely chopped dill, olive oil, lemon slices, pepper, and serve.