This is a Polish dish that I learned in the mid 1980s. It’s a hearty and filling dish, and can be made with meat, or with vegetables. It can be made ahead, but is a fair amount of work, depending on quantity. The Russians also make these rolls, and they’re called голубцы, which is the same word as goląbki; both mean ‘little pigeons.’
The Recipe:
Bring large kettle of water to boil. Add 1 tablespoon kosher salt.
Take 2-3 heads of cabbage, as large as you can get them, the looser the leaves, the better. Cut out cores, and submerge in boiling water. Cook until outer leaves soften, and fall off. Pull these out with tongs, and put in large roasting pan (where you’ll eventually cook the cabbage rolls). Reserve leaves. You’ll also use the water in the sauce, so save a few cups, at least.
Meanwhile, or prior to above step, prepare the filling:
2 cups cooked rice
1.5 pounds ground beef or pork, or a mixture of the two
16 oz mushrooms, diced
1 large onion, minced
1 bulb garlic, minced
1 large bunch parsley, minced
1 bunch dill, chopped
Make the rolls: take each leaf, and trim out larger ribs, and place small handful of filling on one end, and fold leaf and roll. Place rolls in pan.
Sauce:
There are a lot of variations here. Some people do a mushroom soup like sauce, but most that I’ve seen do a kind of tomato sauce. I favor the latter. I use tomato sauce, either canned or homemade, or tomato paste, with sour cream, added to sauteed onions and garlic, and maybe mushrooms, and finely sliced hearts of the cabbage (left from peeling off the outer leaves), thinned with the cabbage cooking water. Basically whatever tastes good.
Pour sauce over the cabbage rolls, cover, and cook in 325 degree oven for 1.5 hours, or until done. Check 45 minutes in, to make sure nothing is drying out. Then check every 10-15 minutes, until done. The cabbage should be soft enough to cut with a fork.
Serve with mashed potatoes, or on their own.
FoodIowa 