Don't we all love Costco's food tasting while trying to stock up on paper towels and detergent? Well, the other day they were sampling some sausages, and to my surprise, sauerkraut! I tried a little and it tasted just like the one my mother used to buy straight from the barrels at the local markets. Haven't made any cabbage dishes for a long time, so I was excited to plan my dinner. Numerous options, which one should I make for my kids tonight? I decided on a layered, oven baked version which is pretty easy to prepare even if this is your first time trying it.

Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/2 to 2 pounds of sour cabbage (sauerkraut) 
• 1 pound of ground pork
• 1 medium size onion, chopped
• 2 to 3 garlic gloves, minced
• 2-4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 5 slices of thick cut bacon, chopped
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon of paprika powder
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 cup of rice, cooked
• 3 cups of sour cream 

In a non-stick skillet cook bacon on medium to high heat until crispy. Add the onions and garlic, cook for 3-4 minutes. Add a couple of tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and the ground pork. Brown pork to reach an even color, breaking it up with a spatula, mixing it around. Season it with the cumin, salt, pepper, and paprika. Add a cup of water, bring it to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer it covered for 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile prepare your rice. Saute rice on a tablespoons of olive oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add 2 cups of water and season it with salt. Bring it to a boil, cover pot and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is cooked. Set aside. 

In a large pot, bring water to boil, add your cabbage and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain cabbage with strainer. Set aside. Now we are ready to assemble our layered dish.

Grease bottom of 13x9 baking dish with olive oil. Put a third of a layer of your cabbage at the bottom. Next, spread half of rice on top of cabbage. Next layer will be half of your meat mixture. Spread a cup of sour cream on meat next. Repeat another layer of cabbage, rice and meat. Top it with the rest of the cabbage. Cover it with the remaining sour cream. Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes or until top starts to brown a little. Serve it with extra sour cream. Bon Apetite!