Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls or Golumki's

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Meatballs!

Oh this has been a ling time coming. I have truly wanted to make these things since my friend Jenn The Leftover Queen Posted about them last February. At that time I even bought a cabbage but it went bad and I threw it out :(!!!

This time when my CSA box had cabbage I knew I was gonna do it...but how? Guess what I did? I Twittered it! I love my Twitter friends. They respond to my every food whim in the form of recipes galore!!!

With all of the great recipes I got I was able to pick and choose and I also emailed T's Mom and got the original...

Coconut & Lime
The Leftover Queen
Sunday Nite Dinner
Kalofagas
To Market, To Market with San Diego Foodstuff

They all had great things about them. T. wanted his memories though and that didn't involve dill, Asian or dried fruit (bookmarked and will happen!!!)

One thing I did find out and can't wait to try is that you can eliminate the boiling process by freezing the head of cabbage for 24 hrs or longer. My idea is to buy one and freeze it until you need it. When it thaws the leaves will be limp like that lettuce that gets accidentally frozen! Easy to roll without all the boiling...I am truly all about simplicity!!!

Here is the recipe that I ended up with and it seemed to fulfill T.'s memories of all of the Polish and Italian women's cabbage rolls or golumki's that he grew up with!!!

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Golumki's)

Ingredients:

2 lbs lean ground beef (90% lean)
1-1/2 cups rice, cooked and cooled
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
29 oz can of tomato puree
2 Tbsp brown sugar
15 oz can of sauerkraut, drained and rinsed

Directions:
  • Boil a pot of water large enough to hold your head of cabbage. Once boiled immerse cabbage in water for about 2 minutes. Remove from water and let drain. When cool enough to handle gently remove leaves. When you reach the point where they aren't soft enough dunk back into your still boiling pot of water. Repeat process until you have all the leaves you need. Alternate method that I want to try is freezing the head of cabbage for about 24 hrs. Allow to thaw. Leaves should be soft like lettuce leaves that you have accidentally frozen. Would save this tedious step.
  • Mix the beef, rice, onion, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and 3 Tbsp of the tomato puree.
  • In a large roasting pan or casserole dish (I used a 10X15 glass pan) covered with aluminum foil, evenly spread the sauerkraut as the bottom layer.
  • Lay your cabbage leaf on a clean work surface and fill with an amount that will be easily rolled. Not too full or it may split during cooking. Roll for the stem side in folding in edges as you go.
  • Lay seam side down on the sauerkraut. Continue with this until you are out of leaves.
  • I had some extra filling left over so I made little meatballs and stuffed them in spaces in the pan. Doesn't have to be perfect!
  • Mix 2 Tbsp of brown sugar into the tomato puree and pour over rolls and meatballs. Add about 1/2 can of water to the edges.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for about 2 hrs or until everything looks nice and tender and the meat is cooked through!
I made these in the afternoon and refrigerated them. When T. got home he popped them into the oven and reheated them.

He said they were perfect. My girl's loved them. Even my tomato hater. She just ate the inside but that's good enough for me!

These worked out to be 6 weight watchers points per serving calculated at 8 servings. Not a bad meal!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com

17 comments:

Thistlemoon said...

I love the addition of brown sugar. I often like to add a bit of sugar to my tomato sauces, but never have done that with golubki. Thanks for posting this recipe.

Like T, I grew up eating these, and nothing brings me home like a nice hot plate of them on a cold night.

Anonymous said...

mm... these stuffed cabbage rolls look wonderful! I haven't made stuffed cabbage for years - thanks so much for the yummy reminder!

Anonymous said...

This recipe is the closest to the one my mom used to make right down to the saurkraut. Oh my goodness it looks so tasty, and I hadn't heard of the freezing tip for the cabbage, so thanks! It really looks delish!

Peter M said...

Judy, your hybrid recipe looks awesome...especially the cross-section pics.

I use grated carrot to neutralize any acid in tomatoes.

Again, thanks for the link-luv!!

Bob said...

Those look great, I've never had them before. I'm going to have to try them out. I often add molasses to my tomato sauce, I love the deep flavor it imparts.

Aggie said...

Oh Judy, these are such a favorite of mine. I have a head of cabbage in the fridge...and with your freezing tip I now know exactly what I am going to do with them. I can't believe I won't have to boil the leaves!!

This looks so delicious, wish I had a plate for lunch on this cold FL day!!

Mike of Mike's Table said...

I need to get on the cabbage train (I've never cooked with it yet!)--these look fantastic!

sj said...

I've not had a cabbage roll since.... I can't even tell you how long. Years and years. I love them, but just don't think to make them. I know my honey would love these! They look delicious and perfect. You've inspired me! I've saved the recipe and will have to try this soon. Thanks again Judy!

Anonymous said...

They are actually called golumbki, (english spelling) which translates to little pigeons. I grew up with them in Poland and now I make them for my daughter, which she puts ketchup all over and eats instead of tomato sauce. go figure

Patsyk said...

Those look amazing! I'm marking the recipe so I can try the filling as meatballs... yum!

Giff said...

lovely! I love the foodie twitter crew, I must say. Such a friendly group.

Anonymous said...

Being Polish, i grew up on these and are one of my favorite meals! Thanks for posting.

~~louise~~ said...

Hi Judy,
I was so happy to find your tempting recipe for stuffed cabbage, I just had to "borrow" your link for a post I did for World Cabbage Day. I hope it's ok. Here's the link if you want to check it out.

Thanks so much for sharing, I too like the addition of brown sugar:)

Unknown said...

Am in the process of trying this recipe out. I've never had stuffed cabbage this way before and am looking forward the finished product.

Monica said...

i'm going to make these tomorrow for my Mom's birthday dinner. Can you tell me how many this served? There will be about 9 people. Thank you! These look really good!

Monica said...

i'm going to make these tomorrow for my Mom's birthday dinner. Can you tell me how many this served? There will be about 9 people. Thank you! These look really good!

Monica said...

How many does this serve? I will be making for about 9 people. I thinking there is enough mixture, maybe 2 heads of cabbage> Just curious. Thanks, Monica.