Doves - Polish sarmice

Preparation steps

• No sauerkraut is used for this recipe, but plain fresh.
• Preheat oven to 300 C degrees.
• Cut / hollow out the thicker part at the bottom of the cabbage head. Put the whole cabbage in boiling salted water to cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from the stove.
• Heat the butter in a pan and fry the onion and bacon until the onion becomes glassy. Add garlic and fry for another 30 seconds, being careful not to darken. Remove from the stove.
• Drain the head of cabbage and slowly and carefully separate the leaves, being careful not to tear them. Depending on the size of the cabbage head, you should get about 14 leaves. Put them aside.
• Chop the rest of the cabbage [middle of the head] into smaller pieces and line the bottom of the refractory baking dish. Cabbage pieces will serve as protection for the pigeons not to stick to the bowl during roasting.
• When the leaves have cooled a bit, then with a sharp knife cut into the thicker lower part of the leaves and remove by cutting lengthwise in half. be careful not to cut the leaf, it should stay whole.
• Put the meat in a larger bowl and add the chilled bacon with onion and garlic. Add rice, ground pepper, salt, 1 beef soup cube dissolved in 50 ml of water, pepper and stir.
• Fill each sheet with the meat mixture. Roll the sheet and then push the ends inwards like a small packet. No toothpicks are needed.
• Put the pigeons in a fireproof bowl. When all the pigeons are filled, add a little more salt and pepper.
• Dissolve the beef soup cube in 200 ml of water and pour it over the pigeons and cover with the lid of the fireproof dish.
• Place the pigeons in a preheated oven to bake for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, put the peeled tomatoes in a mixer, add sugar, salt and canned tomatoes and mix. If you prefer a thinner sauce then add another 100ml of water.
• Remove the pigeons and pour over the tomato sauce and bake for another 30 minutes. No need to cover.