Mom's Cabbage Rolls

I hit the dinner lottery last night.. my Mom called me at work to tell me that she had made a batch of cabbage rolls and she'd like me or Hubbs to stop by and pick some up. Hooray! I got a break from cooking, which meant I could spend some quality time out on the swing by the pond - something I was wishing I could do as yesterday was an exhausting day. I'm posting my Mommie's cabbage rolls because they are too good not to share and I make mine the exact same way (well, duh!) just not very often. Her cabbage rolls are on the larger side, the cabbage is always fork tender and her stuffing is the perfect amount of tasty meat and rice. She makes them in the morning and then slow cooks them in her oven all day. Nothing is needed when having Mom's cabbage rolls other than a lil sour cream and a crusty bread to sop up all the delicious sauce and juices :D Mom's Cabbage Rolls 1 head cabbage 3 lbs. ground chuck 2 eggs, beaten 1/2 c. minute rice 3 tsp. salt 2 tsp. pepper 1 lg. vidalia or spanish onion 5-6 cloves garlic small amount of water 2 lg. cans of tomato puree 2 lg. cans of water 2 TBS. dry basil 3 TBS. dry parsley 1 TBS. oregano 2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. pepper Preheat oven to 350º F. Using a sharp knife, cut a square around the core of the cabbage - you aren't trying to take the core out, you are just making deep slices on each side of it to allow peeling of the leaves. Boil head of cabbage in large pot until it's soft and pliable - about 20 minutes. Being extremely careful, use a spaghetti fork (That's what we call them.. the really long fork with 2 tines that's also used in carving meat) to lift the cabbage out of the hot water, allow it to drain a bit and then transfer it to a counter top that has a clean kitchen towel spread over it. Start peeling off the tender leaves. Once you get to the leaves that aren't as tender, place the head of cabbage back in the boiling water to cook a little longer. You want your leaves to be tender, but not so soft that they will burst open when rolling them around the filling - I guess you could say you'd want them almost al dente (If there is such a thing for cabbage? heee!) Place the leaves on the towel to drain. Once you've got all the leaves separated and draining, cut up the onion in large chunks and smash the garlic. Place the garlic and onion in a blender with a small amount of water to help the blades work through it and puree them. Transfer pureed onion and garlic to a large saucepan and add the tomato puree, water, basil, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside. In a huge bowl, combine the ground round, eggs, rice and salt & pepper well with your hands. Place about a large golf ball size amount of the meat mixture not quite in the middle of a cabbage leaf. Roll until filling is just covered, then fold left end over towards middle, roll once more and then tuck the right side into the middle, inserting the leave into the meat mixture with your finger. Secure with a toothpick, if needed. Cover the bottom of a large roasting pan with a thick layer of the sauce, place rolls on top and then more sauce over the rolls. Bake for AT LEAST 2 hours.. but you'll find more like 3 to 4 hours is best.