Preheat oven to 190C. For the stuffing, heat the oil in a saucepan, add the chopped vegetables, cook with the lid on for 1-2 minutes, add cooked rice and herbs.
Open out the blanched cabbage leaves and cut out the hard core. Above the point of cutting, place a tablespoon or so of stuffing, fold over the cut ends, wrap into a parcel and place in a single layer in a baking dish.
For the sauce, heat oil in a wide-based pan, add onion and garlic and sweat until soft. Then add the tomatoes and puree. Season well and let it bubble for about 15 minutes until nicely reduced and thick. Pour the sauce over the stuffed leaves and bake in the oven for a further 15 minutes.
If you like, serve with a spoonful of sour cream and sprinkling of flat-leaf parsley.
For the stuffing:
1 tbs olive oil
75g pine nuts, toasted
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 stick celery, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
200g long grain rice, cooked
2-3 tbsp each mint, parsley and dill, chopped
8 large Savoy or crispy cabbage leaves, blanched
For the sauce:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
450g fresh tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped, or 1 tin
1 tbsp tomato puree
salt and freshly ground black pepper
150ml sour cream (optional)
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped (optional)