Polish stuffed cabbage rolls in tomato sauce (Gołąbki)

1. Cut deeply around the core of the cabbage and put the head in a large pot of boiling salted water; as the outer leaves soften, peel them off one by one until you have 14-16 nice leaves; shave the thick ribs flat.

2. Parboil the rice for 10 minutes and drain; chop the onion, soften it in the butter until translucent and mix it thoroughly with the minced meat, rice, salt and pepper.

3. Put a heaped tablespoon of filling at the stem end of each leaf, fold in the sides and roll up tightly; line the bottom of a large pan with the remaining smaller leaves and arrange the rolls on top, seam-side down.

4. Mix the tomato purée, sugar and a pinch of salt into the water, pour it over the rolls, add the bay leaves and simmer covered over low heat (or in the oven at 180 °C) for 1 hour.

5. Whisk the sour cream smooth with the flour and a ladle of the hot sauce, pour it back into the pan, stir gently and boil for another 5 minutes until the sauce thickens.

6. Serve the rolls generously spooned with sauce, with boiled potatoes or fresh bread.

Tip: Gołąbki means "little pigeons" – they're named after their shape; unlike Hungarian stuffed cabbage they're made with fresh white cabbage and cooked in tomato sauce, and they're even better the next day.