7. At the bottom of each leaf there will be a thick stem; sliver a slice off this to thin it out (some people cut a V-notch here). The purpose is to make the base flexible so that you can roll it up.
8. Stuff each leaf with the filling mixture. Starting at the bottom of the leaf, roll up one turn, then turn in the sides of the leaf to cover the filling, then roll up some more until you reach the top of the leaf and have a little bundle.
9. Sprinkle with salt and dredge in flour. Brown in fat in a skillet (This is an optional step if you have the time).
10. You can now re-use the pan used to cook the cabbage rolls on your stove top or you may cook these in your slow cooker.
11. Layer the bottom of the Crockpot or pan with broken cabbage leaves (the ones that weren't complete or too small to use for rolling). Stack the filled cabbage leaf bundles on top of the bed of leaves, a single layer at a time. Top each layer with a few spoons of sauce or tomato soup, and repeat with another layer of leaves, another layer of cabbage rolls, etc.
12. Stack the bundles in their layers carefully with the end of each leaf underneath (some people fasten with a toothpick but this is not really required). Finish off the final layer with any remaining filling.
13. Cover and simmer on the lowest heat setting of your stove top for 2-3 hours or in the slow cooker for 4-5 hours.
14. Alternatively, you can bake these in the oven.
15. To bake, stack bundles over cabbage leaves in a casserole dish, pour on the tomato sauce or soup, cover with foil, and bake in a slow oven, 300 degrees F., for about 2 hours.
16. Whichever method you use to cook the cabbage rolls, be sure not to overcook, so test often and remove when the cabbage leaves are tender. If you use tomato sauce rather than tomato soup, add a teaspoon catsup to the mix.