Kapusta Rolls

One of the main traditional dishes that my mum always cooks are "Kapusta" or cabbage rolls.

Golabki (pronounced ga-WUMP-kee) means "little pigeons" in Polish and is a reference to their size and shape. These stuffed cabbage rolls simmered in a tomato sauce are popular throughout Eastern Europe. In Russia they are known as golubtsy and in Ukraine as Holubtsi (or as my Nana called them). Legend has it that a king of Poland fed his army with golabki before a key battle in 1465 and the subsequent victory was credited to this hearty meal beforehand. 

 

My old original recipe

1 large Cabbage 

500g minced beef

500g minced pork

1 large onion, chopped

2 cups cooked rice 

(the grains should still be firm to the touch)

1 egg

Salt and Pepper

Paprika

Chopped Parsley

Tomato Soup 

Water

Fresh chopped parsley

Fill a very large stockpot three-quarters full with water and bring to a rapid boil. While bringing the water to a boil, use a thin, sharp knife to make deep cuts around the core of the large cabbage (cut into the cabbage in a circle about 1/4 inch out from the core). 

Lift out the core, making a hole about 2 inches wide and 2 1/2 inches deep. Stick a long cooking fork into the core hole of the large cabbage, and carefully plunge it into the pot of rapidly boiling water. The outer leaves will begin to fall off. Leave them in the boiling water for a few minutes until they're limp and flexible enough for stuffing; then take them out one at a time, and drain. Try not to tear the leaves. When all the usable leaves are removed, wash the leaves carefully in cold water. Find your largest leaves, and set them out on a plate.

As you remove leaves, some will tear and otherwise not be suitable for using as a wrapper. Do not discard these, as they can be used to line the pot. Trim thick centre vein from bottom of each leaf.

Mix onions, minced meat, rice, paprika, salt and pepper. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of meat mixture onto wider end of flattened out leaf. Roll leaf up and over meat, tuck in sides of leaf, and continue to roll to use all leaves and meat mixture. Fold in sides and roll from wide end to narrower end.

 

 Place all cabbage rolls into casserole dish and lined with flat cabbage leaves, cover after half filling with water.

Pour a can of tomato soup over the entire top, top with parsley and cover with tight fitting lid. I sometimes fry onion, garlic and diced ham and add to the sauce for extra flavour before cooking.

Cook at a med low heat for 1.5 hours until thoroughly cooked and cabbage is tender. I like to put mine in the slow cooker on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

  

So, as the Polish say,

"Jedzcie, pijcie i popuszczajcie pasa"... "Eat, drink and loosen your belt".