Kittencals Sweet And Sour Cabbage And Sausage Tomato Saute Recipes

KITTENCAL'S CABBAGE ROLLS WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Set oven to 350 degrees F (second-lowest oven rack).
• Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking pan or use a larger pan (for easier clean up I strongly advise to use a disposable heavy foil pan).
• Make certain that the cabbage heads are completely thawed before using for this (to do this remove the heads of cabbage from freezer and place in a bowl then thaw at room temperature overnight).
• Using a small sharp knife carefully remove the hard core/stem from the center of the head, then remove the leaves from the cabbage (you may need to keep slicing off some middle part to remove the leaves easier).
• To speed up cooking time you may want to cook the leaves in boiling salted water for about 8-10 minutes this will give the cabbage rolls a head start and reduce cooking time slightly.
• Using your hands gently squeeze out 2 to 3 leaves at a time to remove excess water, then place the leaves in a large bowl; set aside.
• FOR MEAT FILLING; using clean hands mix all ingredients together for the meat filling in large bowl until thoroughly combined.
• FOR SAUCE; in another bowl combine all sauce ingredients together until blended (adjust the salt and pepper to taste).
• Line the bottom of the pan with cabbage leaves (due to the long cooking time this will protect the rolls from over browning/burning in the pan while cooking, you may also place leaves on top of the sauce then cover with foil but that is optional).
• Using a large spoon or a ladle drizzle half of the sauce over the leaves then spread out to cover the leaves (does not have to cover the leaves completely).
• Stuff the cabbage leaves tightly but carefully with the meat mixture (I use about 1/3-cup for larger leaves).
• Roll up tightly and place the rolls in a single layer on top of the cabbage leaves and sauce in the baking dish.
• Drizzle the remaining sauce over the rolls (using a butter knife separate the rolls slightly to insure the sauce settles between and around each roll).
• Sprinkle about 1/2 cup or a little more sauerkraut over the sauce (if using).
• At this point you may cover the rolls with more leaves if desired (this is optional but good to do).
• Cover tightly with foil.
• IMPORTANT; if you are using a 13 x 9-inch dish it will be very full so place on a large jelly-roll pan to catch any spills.
• Cook at 350 degrees F (oven rack set to second-lowest position) for about 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until the cabbage is very tender, the cooking time will vary depending on how thick the cabbage leaves are and if you have pre-boiled the leaves firstly, I usually check after about 2 hours).

KITTENCAL'S ITALIAN TOMATO PASTA SAUCE AND PARMESAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Prepare the meatball recipe as directed on the recipe; transfer to a plate cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use (the meatballs may be prepared up to 1 day in advance).
• Drain the diced tomatoes over a strainer.
• Coat bottom of large heavy-bottomed pot with olive oil, heat over medium heat.
• Saute onion with bay leaf, oregano, basil, salt, black pepper and crushed chili peppers for about 5-7 minutes or until the onions are transparent.
• Add in fresh garlic; cook stirring for 2 minutes.
• Add the tomato paste;mix and stir for about 2 minutes or until well combined with the onion mixture.
• Add in the wine; stir well to combine.
• Add the 2 cans crushed tomatoes (can use 3 cans if you are freezing some sauce) and the drained diced tomatoes, stir and bring to a light boil; boil for 5-8 minutes then reduce heat to low.
• Add in uncooked meatballs to the sauce (if you are adding the meatballs uncooked do not stir for 30 minutes or you may run the risk of them falling apart in the simmering sauce).
• Simmer uncovered on low heat for about 3-5 hours (the longer you simmer uncovered the thicker and richer your sauce will be so don't be afraid to simmer even 6 hours!) adding more salt if desired.
• Skim off any fat that might gather on top of sauce.
• Allow to cool to room temperature then refrigerate (with the meatballs in the sauce) a minimum of 1 day or up to 4 days before using.
• Use as much as desired then freeze the rest for another meal, just reheat the sauce on top of the stove or heat in microwave (this will freeze well for up to 6 months).
• Note: if desired, you can bake the meatballs in the oven before adding to the sauce.