First cut out the hard core from a head of cabbage. You will want to angle the knife so that you make a cone-shaped wedge to pull out. Removing the core makes it easier to pull off the leaves. Then, put the whole cabbage into a pot of boiling water.

As the leaves soften you can begin to pull them off with tongs. If they are still a bit stiff, they can stay in the water a little longer. Removing them also helps the underlying leaves to soften faster. It's also important to use cabbage with loose, thin leaves.

Take the softened cabbage leaves and remove the hard middle vein from each one. I usually cut the leaf in half and slice off the little bit of vein that's on one side of each one. You can also trim any discolored edges.

To make the dolma filling, purée the onion with a little bit of milk and add it to ground beef (a ground beef/ground pork mixture is also fine), rice, tomato sauce, egg, salt/pepper, dried basil, and chopped parsley and/or other fresh herbs.

Mix it all by hand so you can really get everything incorporated well.

Take the cabbage scraps and use them to line the bottom of a cooking pot (so the dolmas do not scorch).

Put a small golf ball-sized amount of filling onto the bottom of a cabbage leaf and roll it up from the bottom, tucking in at least one side, as you go.

You can also put a variety of stuffed vegetables into the pot (i.e. stuffed grape leaves, stuffed bell peppers, stuffed zucchini, etc.).

If you want to put a few lemon slices in the pot as well, that can impart a nice flavor too. You could also scatter some dried apricots amongst the layers.

Meanwhile, on the stove top, melt some butter into a mixture of water (3 cups), tomato sauce or marinara (one cup), and other dried seasonings.

Pour this liquid over the dolma so they're covered. Place a heat-proof plate on top so they don't float, then cover with a pot lid.

Simmer for about 45 minutes.