Unbelievable. I just realized I do not have recipe for cabbage rolls. How could it be? I don’t know, but I better make one up fast.
Here it goes.
Cabbage rolls also known as golubtsi in Ukraine.
Ingredients needed:
(approximately)
Cabbage whole
Beef ¼ lb
Chicken, better to use dark meat ¼ lb
Carrots 4-5
Onion 2-3
Tomato sauce 1 can
Mayo 2-3 table spoons
Garlic few cloves
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Eggs 2
Precooked rice, about ½ way ready, a cup or so
Water for cooking
Some oil of your choice for frying
Make filling. I use only beef and/or chicken, make it half and half for the best result, and I do like to grind meat myself. I have a meat grinder, just for that (well hamburgers too). I do not have exact measurements. Say you are making one pound of meat mixture. Grind meat, 1 onion, 2-3 cloves of garlic, together intermittently. I mean not just one thing at ones, do piece of meat, little onion, little garlic, repeat. Then the mixture will mix better and will have more even taste (can I say that). Add 1 table spoon of mayo, 2 eggs, rice and salt/pepper/paprika to taste. Mix well.
The cabbage has a part of the root left inside. It needs to be carefully removed. Cut it out with a paring knife. Then put the whole thing into cold water, with the hole up, use a big pot, and bring it to a boil. Boil for 3-5 minutes. Remove cabbage from water, you can put under cold running water for few minutes. Then start removing leaves carefully so not to break them. After boiling they should be plenty soft. Set aside.
I do not discard the hot water the cabbage was boiled in.
Dice the rest of the onion; shred the carrots using grater, or buy shredded carrots to begin with. Sauté the onion till soft, add shredded carrots sauté together till carrots are soft season with salt/pepper/paprika.
Now you ready to actually make cabbage rolls/golubtsi. Take some of the above mixture and spread on the bottom of the pot, it will prevent the cabbage rolls from sticking to the bottom of the pot or burning, also it will add an amazing flavor. Put the table spoon of filling into every cabbage leaf and fold it like an envelope or roll it like a egg roll, well as long as it is closed in some way you are good. I’m not coming with inspection. Start layering them on the bottom of the pot. After first layer add some more of onion carrots mix and add another layer of cabbage rolls, cover with the rest of the mixture, you probably done by now.
Mix 1 can of tomato sauce, couple spoons of mayo, add the hot boiled water you have. You need enough liquid to barely cover the cabbage rolls, maybe even a bit less. Bring it to boil, cover tightly and cook for couple of hours a medium to low heat. Open the lid after that cook for another half an hour open so most, of the water or at least half of it evaporates. During cooking check the water for taste, adjust seasoning if need it. The time and temps might vary, you’ll have to adjust. Done.
Now, in all honestly I only do this when I expect guests. For my family where nobody eats cabbage, even me. I make lazy cabbage rolls. Which really are not rolls but simple meatballs. I buy cole slaw instead of cabbage and when I cook onion and carrots I also add cabbage into that mixture. The slaw cooks really fast so you only have add it right before, maybe 5 minutes before onion and carrots are done. Then I do the same thing use layer of that mixture and form the meat filling into regular size (whatever the size you like) meatballs.
Everything else is the same.
A note: if I have chicken fat on hand I like to add that to beef instead of chicken, works wonders.
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