Lena's Russian Cabbage Rolls

Several years ago, I used to read a blog written by a young Eastern European immigrant girl who had married and was living in the U.S.  Her name was Lena, and she was a whiz, absolute whiz, at saving money.  She also happened to be a pretty good cook, as I can attest because I tried several recipes she shared.  

Once I'd tried her recipe for Russian Cabbage Rolls, I knew I'd found my lifelong recipe for that item.  It had all the elements I liked plus the wonderful addition of spices and dried fruit.   

Lena's Russian Cabbage Rolls

1 pound ground beef

1 cup cooked rice (I use uncooked instant and it works out just fine)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Cooked cabbage leaves with woody stem part removed (blanching is fine)

2 cups canned tomatoes

4 cups broth (I like to use beef broth)

1/2 cup raisins

Mix ground beef, rice, and seasonings.  Stuff the cabbage leaves and layer in the bottom of a heavy pan.  I use my slow cooker.  Pour over tomatoes, beef broth and add the raisins.  Bring up to a boil, lower to simmer and cook for 1 hour.  In my crockpot, I cooked for 6 hours on low heat.

This is a saucy mixture.  I serve it simply, over a mound of mashed potatoes.   And it's even better the second time you serve it if you happen to have leftovers.