Stuffed Cabbage Leaves

Stuffing cabbage leaves is an art, and each ethnic group claims its own expertise. One finds Central Asian cabbage stuffed with lamb, Baltic cabbage layered with bacon, and a delightful sweet-and-sour cabbage attributed to Russian Jewish cookery. When cabbage leaves are stuffed and rolled into packets they are called golubtsy, “little doves,” as the rolls resemble the small birds at rest with wings folded under. Sometimes, though, the head of cabbage is left whole, as in the second recipe below, a typically Russian preparation, and a splendid one.