Irish Feast

Social Sunday

With it being St. Patrick's Day weekend, my mind instantly went to my Grandma and her home cooking. For some reason, some will say that the Irish are not known for their cooking, but I beg to differ (and not just because I am Irish). Stews and pies are some delicious specialties, but my all-time favorite Irish recipe that my Grandma would always make is Stuffed Cabbage. The sweet tasted of the meet rolled into a freshly cooked cabbage leaf was a perfect combination. The best part about them is that they are relatively small, so you get to eat lots of them at a time! I hope to have some of these sometime soon as we celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

Grandma's Stuffed Cabbage

Ingredients
-1 can tomato soup
-1.5 cans beef broth
-1 lb ground meet
-1/2 lb ground pork
-1 cup cooked white rice
-1 chopped onion
-1 head of cabbage

Directions
1. Combine soup and broth.
2. Combine meat, rice, onion, and 1/3 of the liquid mixture until well incorporated and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight).
3. Immerse the entire head of cabbage in a large pot and bring to a boil. The leaves will naturally start to open up. When this happens, carefully use tongs to remove each leaf, and set aside.
4. Lay leaves flat and remove the stem by using a small knife.
5. Take about 2 tbsp of meat and lay in a long lump in the bottom middle of the cabbage leaf near where the stem was. Carefully fold in the sides and roll up. The amount of meat will vary based on leaf side, but you know it is the correct amount when the leaf easily rolls up holding in all of the meat.
6. Place all stuffed cabbage rolls in that same large pot by starting in the middle and lining them up, and then lay them at an angle along the sides to fit in the pot. The next layer should start the opposite way. 7. Add the remaining liquid to the pot and bring to a boil.
8. Cover pot, reduce heat to simmer, and cook for 3hrs.

Your house will smell absolutely amazing. The smell and taste of this traditional Irish meal makes me want to curl up on the couch and watch a movie with family. I hope you all can feel the great Irish hospitality when you try this dish!