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Sunday, April 1, 2012

BFF Guest Post Chapter II {Grandma's Stuffed Cabbage Recipe}

Kyra-bobera and her violin
Symphony tonight... so excited as always, love to watch my Bobera play the violin and it's the Volusia Community Symphony's BIG show with the Choir and all.  As much as I love my DMB I really enjoy any music and what better music than that played by your kid :)


Myself thinking
So, I was thinking to myself, "Myself, what will you blog today since you're not really cookin' anything of note..." when lo & behold MaryAnn POPPED into my inbox with a surprise BFF Guest blog .... that girl has some seriously good timing I say!


MaryAnn Popping into my Inbox

Apparently, Mar is cooking up some of her Grandma's Stuffed Cabbage in preparation for her big Easter Feast next week and so, I'll turn it over to her.....

Grandmom’s stuffed cabbage rolls (Golabki for the Polack’s in the crowd)
This is one of our favorite Polish comfort foods… great served with mashed potatoes (and don’t forget the gravy volcano!)


1-2 whole heads of cabbage
2lb bag of sauerkraut (this is the secret ingredient that you won’t find in a cookbook)
Boiling salted water
2 lbs lean ground beef
1 ½ cups cooked rice
2 eggs
1 onion & 2 cloves of garlic (Sautéed in butter until tender)
Salt
Pepper
2 - 3 cans condensed tomato soup


Remove core from cabbage and place whole head in salted boiling water.  Cook 3 -5  minutes or until softened enough to pull off individual leaves… repeat to remove all leaves (you are hoping for approximately 18-20 good leaves before you reserve the rest to chop).
Chop the remaining cabbage and set aside.

Mix meat, eggs, rice, onion, salt and pepper

Take each cabbage leaf and pound the hard center core using
a meat tenderizer (so that you can roll the cabbage) 

Place a heaping tablespoon of meat mixture on a cabbage leaf

roll bottom over mixture, tuck in sides while rolling leaf around mixture, place gently on a plate and continue until all are rolled

In a large dutch oven or crockpot, line the bottom with ½ of the reserved chopped cabbage, drain (but do not rinse) the sauerkraut and add on top of the cabbage, then layer cabbage rolls over the sauerkraut and top with remaining chopped cabbage. Combine tomato soup with water as per can directions; mix until smooth and pour over cabbage rolls. Cover and bring to boiling.  Reduce heat and simmer 2-3 hours.
Enjoy! Wesołego Alleluja! {Happy Easter :)}

7 comments:

  1. My dad just loves stuffed cabbage...so I will have to make this for him when he comes to town! This looks an awful lot like my mom's recipe...except for your addition of sauerkraut. What a yummy idea :)

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    1. Try it... and when you do, make lots so you can share or freeze for later!

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  2. Yum stuffed cabbage looks so delicious - I wonder now why I have never tried it ;)

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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    1. The sauerkraut is my grandmother's secret weapon... it doesn't taste the same without it!

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  3. Hey Mare, This looks awesome, and I will definitely make these when Mark's dad comes in June. One question, though: do you have to use a toothpick to secure them? If not, what keeps them from coming apart? Is it just that they're sitting atop the cabbage and sauerkraut? --Patti Higgins

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  4. Hey Patti,
    I hope that you are well! I don't use toothpicks... I just use the large cabbage leaves (so I buy extra). When you are rolling them, make sure you pound the core so it is easy to roll, put a heaping spoonful near the bottom of the leaf so that the first fold is from the bottom... over the meat, then fold the sides in as you roll up (Emma says it is like wrapping a burrito). You are placing them in the dutch oven or crock pot and it doesn't get stirred, so they stay together! It takes a little practice, but once you get the hang of it, it goes quickly! I hope Mark's dad enjoys them... Hello to all!
    Mar

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  5. Does the sauce take on sour taste because of the addition of the sauerkraut?

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