Stuffed Cabbage Leaves with Prunes Dolma

Turn the heat to high and carefully remove the core from your cabbage. Place the whole cabbage into a large, deep pot of water. Make sure not to overcook your cabbage leaves. Let it cook just until the outer leaves begin to loosen and are pliable. Carefully remove from the water with tongs and place onto a plate. Make sure to use kitchen mittens while doing this process. I like to remove each layer and keep them in the same order. This will allow you to separate them by size and color. Boil each cabbage separately.

Once your cabbage leaves are separated, start removing the center vein from each leaf, then split your leaves down the center to create two halves to make 4 equal quarters (see video for a visual guide). Stack them neatly on top of each other, ensuring they’re evenly aligned so that cutting through the center results in even portions. Meanwhile, start preparing your meat mixture in a large bowl. Mix ground beef, onions, oil, fresh chopped herbs, seasonings, and chopped prunes.

Lightly oil your baking dish, making sure the bottom and sides are evenly coated. Take a quarter piece of cabbage leaf and place it on a flat surface. Add about a ½-inch by 3-inch strip of the meat filling near the base of the leaf. Fold in the sides, then gently roll it up—just firm enough to hold, but not too tight. (Note: If you plan to only make “Meat” Dolma – double the recipe for the meat and skip Step #4).

Step 4: Rice Cabbage Rolls – Mix together the ingredients for your rice dolma and roll them just as you did with the meat version. Be sure to keep them separate from the meat rolls.

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Begin by placing only the rice-filled rolls along the bottom of your baking dish, lining them up side by side. At this stage, size and color aren’t important. Once the bottom layer is complete, move on to the top layer and create a more intentional pattern. For a clean and cohesive look, group together rolls of the same size in sets of four. I chose to match each group by color, setting aside the darker green leaves for one of the sets. Then, I arranged the groups in alternating vertical and horizontal directions to create a visually appealing layout. Add a few whole prunes in between the rolls, arranging them as shown in my design.

In a bowl, combine the tomato sauce, water, oil, cinnamon, and salt. Stir well until fully blended. Carefully pour the sauce over the dolma, making sure it’s evenly distributed throughout the tray and that all the rolls are fully submerged. Top it off and evenly spread out your chopped serrano peppers. Cover the dolma with a fitted sheet of parchment paper, then seal the dish tightly with foil. Place it in the center of your oven and bake for 1 hour.