Step 1

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a few tablespoons of salt. Cut the core out of the cabbage and cook this in the boiling water for 10 minutes. remove and let it cool, cut side up.

Step 2

In another pot, cook the barley in salted water until it's about half cooked, about 15 minutes. Drain and reserve.

Step 3

Meanwhile, make the filling. Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl and ladle a little of the hot water you're cooking the cabbage in over them.

Step 4

Cook the chopped onions in the butter over medium-high heat until they just begin to brown. Turn off the heat and move them to a large bowl to cool quickly.

Step 5

Remove the mushrooms from the soaking water and squeeze excess water out of them. Chop them fine. Strain the soaking water through a paper towel to remove any debris and reserve a couple cups for the sauce.

Step 6

Add the mushrooms to the bowl with the onions, and add the remaining filling ingredients. Mix well.

Step 7

Use the pot you cooked the barley in. Add all the sauce ingredients and bring it to a bare simmer.

Step 8

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Separate your cabbage leaves. Use the biggest outer leaves to line a heavy, lidded pot like a Dutch oven. Spread some sauce over that.

Step 9

Set a leaf in front of you, main rib closest to you, curve of the leaf facing up. Cut the base of the rib out with a knife. Crush the rest of the rib with the palm of your hand.

Step 10

Spoon some filling onto the leaf perpendicular to the rib. Compress it a bit. Fold the bottom of the leaf up, then the sides. Fold this over to seal, like a burrito or grape leaf. Set the cabbage roll in the pot. Repeat until you have a full layer in the pot.

Step 11

Spread some sauce over this first layer, then finish with all the cabbage leaves large enough to make into a roll. Spread the rest of the sauce over this, then top with the littlest leaves. Cover the pot and bake in the oven for 90 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the pot sit for 30 minutes before serving.