Stuffed Cabbage with Turkey and Fresh Sage

Ah, fall begins tomorrow and everything is made of apple and pumpkin. I'm still rebelling as I have yet to make something with these two foods. Instead, I'm celebrating this equinox eve with a favorite dish - stuffed cabbage. 
With my Austrian roots, this dish was a staple in my house. I can never quite make it as well as my mom. I can't seem to recall her little additions. And she keeps secrets. I will be asking again. My mom recently retired after a career as a chef and then a food service director. She also owned a catering business for a spell when I was in high school. She's the inspiration behind my love of gardening and cooking. We grew up with a large garden. She canned everything. She even made her own ketchup. It was incredible. We would prefer her ketchup to Heinz. 
This dish is not something I make every week as it is time consuming, but it is so worth it. Every ingredient was local except for the rice, garlic, and ground turkey. I need to find some local ground turkey. I use it fairly often. I've made this recipe healthier and there are some shortcuts. Enjoy! And happy fall eve!
I started by coring the head of cabbage and putting in large boiling pot for 3 to 4 minutes. This cabbage is from Racine's Farm in Adams, MA. Just lovely. 

I also prepared a cup of rice. And then I diced up my onion and garlic. Then I finely chopped the sage and parsley that Estelle and I picked from the herb garden. Many of the herbs are still surviving despite a couple of frosts. 

 I added the ground turkey to the onion and herbs. The cabbage and rice was cooled. I put the tomato sauce at the bottom of the glass baking dish, I then put the turkey mixture into the individual cabbage leaves. Mmmmm. So tasty! 

Stuffed Cabbage with Turkey and Fresh Sage

Ingredients

1 large head of green cabbage
1 pound ground turkey
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 medium red onion
1/2 cup white rice, cooled 
5 sage leaves, finely chopped
1 bunch of parsley, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
2 cups tomato sauce (see below for my recipe, which)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 F. 

Prepare the rice by boiling 1 cup of water and adding 1/2 cup of rice to boiling water. Add salt. This will make 1 cup of rice, but just use a 1/2 cup. Make sure to let it cool. 

Bring 5 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add a teaspoon of salt. Cut the core out of the cabbage and put the head in the water for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the burner off and let it sit in the water for another minute. Drain and rinse with cool water. Place the cabbage on a tray or a plate and let it cool even more. 
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, place the ground turkey, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, 1/2 cup rice, parsley, red onion, sage, salt and pepper and egg. Mix this well with your hands. Lay out the cabbage leaves on a tray or a cutting board and place a handful of the turkey mixture in the lower center of the leaf. Roll each leaf from the base and create a pocket. In a casserole dish, place 1/3 cup of the tomato sauce on the bottom and add the cabbage rolls. Spoon the remaining sauce over the rolls and bake for 1 hour at 350 F. Remove and serve immediately.

Tomato Sauce
1 cup of your favorite tomato sauce 
8 oz can of diced tomatoes
!/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp tomato paste

This tomato sauce is more flavorful and fresh tasting.