Wrap it up: Separating cabbage leaves

The trickiest part of making stuffed cabbage is separating and preparing the leaves.

Most home cooks use the parboil technique: Rinse the exterior of the cabbage and remove a few of the outer leaves. Then heat a large, sturdy pot of salted water over high heat. Insert a large two-pronged fork into the base of a head of cabbage. Once the water boils, submerge the cabbage beneath the water and rotate the fork. The leaves will begin to soften and separate. After this happens you can use a knife to cut the individual leaves off the base and push them away. Let them continue to boil for a minute or so before removing them from the water.

(Allowing the cabbage leaves to boil in the water will ensure they are pliable and easy to roll later.)

Remove the cabbage leaves one at a time from the boiling water. Stack them in a colander to drain and then spread them on a tray to cool uncovered until they can be handled.

Meanwhile, continue rotating the head of cabbage, removing as many leaves as you can, at least a dozen.

Cut and remove the thick rib from the center of the larger leaves of cooked cabbage. Cut each leaf in half, following the rib line. Prepare the smaller leaves by cutting the lower third off the leaf.

The cabbage heart, as well as any extra leaves, can be shredded and used in the filling.

Joan Nathan described the freezing method of separating the cabbage leaves in New American Cooking (Alfred A. Knopf, 2005):

Place the head of cabbage in a gallon bag and freeze it. A day before cooking, defrost it at room temperature in a bowl to catch all the liquid. The leaves will be soft enough that you don't have to boil the cabbage to separate them.

Cabbage rolls freeze and reheat well.

You can freeze a pan of them before baking; then defrost in the refrigerator overnight and bake at 400 degrees for about two hours.

If you bake them first and plan to freeze some, cut the cooking time by about 15 minutes so the cabbage doesn't overcook and fall apart when reheated. Defrost pre-baked and frozen cabbage rolls in the refrigerator overnight, then cover and cook at 400 degrees for about an hour.

- Dianna Marder