For the cabbage rolls to succeed, the cabbage head itself must first be prepared.
To do this, remove the unsightly outer leaves of the cabbage and then clean it well under running water.
Now place the cabbage head in a large cooking pot, which is then filled with plenty of water.
Bring the water to a boil and parboil the cabbage for about 15-20 minutes.
After cooking, carefully pour the water out of the pot and remove the cabbage head with a meat fork or a slotted spoon.
If the heat is too intense, leave the cabbage head to cool in the pot for a while so it can be fished out more easily later.
Once the cabbage head has cooled well, you can use a very good, sharp knife to remove the outer core.
By removing it, you can get better access to the cabbage leaves.
Do not tear the leaves; instead make sure you get especially nice, large cabbage leaves.
So that the leaves can be rolled easily later, the individual cabbage leaves should be freed from the hard central core.
To do this, cut out the core in a wedge shape.
In the next step, the minced meat is prepared.
To do this, soak the roll in water, squeeze it well, and add it to the mixed minced meat.
Peel the onion, finely dice it, and add it to the minced meat with the spices and the mustard.
Mix everything well together.
To assemble the cabbage rolls, have one or two cabbage leaves ready, place two tablespoons of minced meat on the lower edge of the leaves, and fold the leaves so that a roulade is formed.
To do this, fold the end over the meat first, then carefully roll the filling and tuck in the sides so that you end up with a small cabbage-minced-meat package.
Now tie the package together with kitchen twine.
Even though this requires a bit of skill, tying it is not impossible.
Just make sure you use enough twine.
Two ells should be enough.
Tie up the cabbage rolls the way you would package a bundle.
Finally tie a firm knot – the cabbage roll is ready.
Since you cannot eat the roulade as is, the cabbage roll of course still needs to be cooked.
To do this, lightly heat some clarified butter in a sufficiently large pot and sear the rolls on all sides for about 2 minutes.
Then put all the rolls into the pot, pour in 1.5-2 liters of water, and let them simmer well for about 1 hour.
The cabbage rolls naturally taste even better after resting overnight.
Finally, remove the rolls from the broth, free them from the twine, season with stock, thicken with a sauce thickener, adjust seasoning if necessary, and serve with boiled potatoes.
