Stuffed Cabbage *

OK, now for what my grandmother called her "secret ingredient." It's Zaprashka, a sauce or gravy that is a thickening added back to the cooking stuffed cabbage.

How to make the Zaprashka: Blend 4 Tbsp. butter* [or oil] and 4 Tbsp. flour together in a frying pan. Keep on medium heat and keep stirring until lightly browned and the lumps have dissolved. Slowly add the liquid mixture directly from the cooking stuffed cabbage to the Zaprashka and blend until smooth. Then, add this mixture back to the cooking stuffed cabbage!

*My grandmother brought home the very best butter from the West Side Market in Cleveland.

Instructions:

1. Remove core from the cabbage, place in a large saucepan, cover with water, then bring to the boil and cook until the outer leaves begin to loosen.

2. Lift out the cabbage, remove the softened leaves and return the head of cabbage to the pan of boiling water to soften more leaves. Repeat until all leaves are removed.

3. Once all the leaves have been softened, remove the center stalks from each leaf and set aside.

4. Meanwhile, place the beef, pork, rice, bread crumbs, salt, paprika, pepper and egg in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Grandma liked extra black pepper! Set aside.

5. Place the onion and garlic in a saucepan and sauté until the onion is soft.

6. Add the onion mixture to the beef mixture and mix well.

7. Spoon half the sauerkraut into the bottom of a large cast iron pot and set aside.

8. Using the largest cabbage leaves, place about a handful of the meat and rice mixture on each cabbage leaf and roll up, tucking in sides. Lightly press the mixture into the leaves. Place the cabbage rolls with the seam side down on top of the sauerkraut in the cast iron pot. Sprinkle the peppercorns and add the bayleaves on top.

9. Add the unused cabbage leaves, chopped, on top of the stuffed cabbage rolls.

10. Mix the tomatoes, water and remaining sauerkraut together and add to top of stuffed cabbage rolls.

11. Cook on medium until mixture begins to bubble, turn down heat to a simmer and allow to cook for 3 hours. I like to let it simmer on the stove a little longer.

12. Near serving time, prepare the zapraska in a skillet, pouring liquid from the stuffed cabbage into the zapraska and then add back to the pot. The stuffed cabbage rolls should simmer for another 15 minutes with the added zapraska.

13. Grandma always served her stuffed cabbage rolls with home made mashed potatoes, adding the liquid from the stuffed cabbage rolls to the potatoes! YUMM!

Carefully cut out the core of the cabbage head using a paring knife. Put the cabbage head into a large pot of boiling water that is big enough to cover the cabbage. Boil for a couple of minutes; less than 5 usually. You can tell the outer leaves are ready to remove as they will be a brighter green color and tender to a fork.

Remove the cabbage head and carefully peal off the outer leaves and set aside. Place the cabbage head back into the boiling water and repeat the process.

TIP: Carefully trim the center stem on the cabbage leaves so that they will be easier to roll.

Put all the above into a pressure cooker or microwaveable dish: Wrap above filling, large spoonful each, into parboiled cabbage leaves. Then place the stuffed cabbage pockets into microwave dish or pressure cooker. Fill with about 1 inch of water seasoned with seasoning salt or Vegeta and bit of oil.

Steam cook in pressure cooker about 4 minutes or in microwave. (Time depends on quantity -- just a few minutes cooking time is all that is needed.)

Prepare shredded cabbage:
Approx 1/4 cup olive oil
2 small onions thinly sliced
1 small head of cabbage (use outer leaves for rolls and shred remainder)
1 pkg. of sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
1 bay leaf
Seasoning salt or Vegeta
1/2 cup water
Pam or other vegetable spray
Sour cream
Salt to taste

Slice onions thin and saute in oil for a few minutes - until glassy. Add cabbage, sauerkraut, seasoning and salt. Cook shredded cabbage mixed with drained sauerkraut until cabbage is soft. In baking dish spray pam on bottom. Spread approx half of cabbage on bottom. Then place stuffed cabbages next to each other throughout the pan. Cover with remainder of cabbage. Spread top with sour cream. Bake 350-375 for about 1/2 hour until it bakes through real well and sour cream is well set. --magyarmarketing.com.

Instructions:

Rinse the sauerkraut in cold water. If needed, soak in cold water 10-20 minutes to reduce sourness. Squeeze dry and set aside. In a large saucepan, bring to a boil enough salted water to cover the cabbage. Add the cabbage, turn the heat to low and simmer 8 minutes. Remove the cabbage and let it drain while it cools enough to handle. Pull off 16 large unbroken leaves and lay them on paper towels to drain and cool further.

In a 10-inch skillet, saute the onions and garlic in olive oil, until the onions are lightly colored. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pork, rice, eggs, paprika, marjoram, the onion-garlic mixture, salt and a few grindings of black pepper. Mix well with a fork or wooden spoon.

Place 2 tablespoons of the stuffing in the center of one of the wilted cabbage leaves and, beginning with the thick end of the leaf, fold over the sides, then roll the whole leaf tightly, as you would a small bundle. Repeat with more leaves until all the stuffing has been used.

Spread the sauerkraut on the bottom of a 5-quart casserole and arrange the cabbage rolls on top of it. Add the water mixed with the tomato puree. Bring the liquid to a boil, then cover the pan tightly and cook the stuffed cabbage over low heat for 1 hour. Transfer the rolls from the casserole to a warm plate. Stir in the sour cream to the sauerkraut. Simmer another 5 minutes. Lift the sauerkraut onto a serving platter with a slotted spoon. Arrange the cabbage rolls on the sauerkraut and pour some of the sauce over them. Serve the rest of the sauce in a sauceboat. --elise.com

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. ground pork
3/4 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. Hungarian sausage
2 raw eggs
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. paprika
½ tsp. pepper corns
¾ lb. rice
2 large bay leaves
2 white onions chopped
3 Tbsp. shortening
1 large head of cabbage
1 bottle or pack of sauerkraut

Featured on The Hungry Squidz food blog.

Instructions:

Brown the chopped onion in shortening and place in a mixing bowl with ground meats, raw eggs, uncooked rice, paprika, salt. Mix well with your hands.

Take out the core of the cabbage. Leave the head whole. Place in large pot of boiling water to wilt the outer leaves. You will be able to gently pull off whole cabbage leaves. Trim off thick center vein of cabbage leaves. Make a pile of leaves. Shake off excess water.

Place 2 Tbsp. of meat and rice mixture on a leaf, starting at the thick end. Roll it up and tuck in the ends with your fingers. Make as many as you can.

Arrange the rolls in a cooking pot. Put a few chunks of sausage here and there between the rolls. Cover the rolls two-thirds full of water. Arrange rinsed sauerkraut on top. Sprinkle pepper corns and bay leaves on top. Cover and cook slowly for about 1-1/2 hours or until rice is tender.

* Golubtsy - Russia
* Golabki (little pigeons) - Poland
* Halubcy - Belarus
* Holishkes - Ashkenazi Jewish
* Holubki - Czech Republic and Slovakia
* Holubtsi - Ukraine
* Kaldolmar - Sweden
* Kaalikaaryle - Finland
* Kohlroulade - Austria
* Krautwickel - Germany
* Lahana Dolmasi - Turkey
* Malfoof - Jordan (Middle East)
* Rouru Kyabetsu - Japan
* Sarma - The Balkans
* Sarmale - Romania
* Toltott Kaposzta - Hungary
* Vegetarian - Worldwide

Instructions:

Using a paring knife, remove center core of cabbage. In a large nonreactive stockpot, bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Add cabbage and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until outer leaves are bright green and tender. Lift cabbage from water, and remove outer leaves. Return cabbage to boiling water, and repeat brief cooking and removal of leaves until all leaves are cooked. Reserve 2 cups cabbage cooking water. Trim thick center vein from bottom of each leaf. Reserve four large outer leaves to line bottom of pan.

In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook until golden and tender, about 8 minutes. In a large bowl, combine onion mixture, rice, beef, pork, salt, pepper, parsley flakes, green pepper, and celery. Stir to combine.

Add about 1/3 cup rice filling to one cabbage leaf. Fold sides of cabbage over filling, and, starting with the stem end, roll the cabbage up. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling.

Line a 5-quart Dutch oven with reserved outside leaves. Transfer stuffed cabbage leaves to Dutch oven.

In a large bowl, combine tomato puree and the reserved 2 cups of cabbage cooking water. Pour some of the tomato sauce over cabbage to almost cover. Sprinkle apple over top of cabbage leaves. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a gentle simmer; cover. Cook for 1 hour or until cabbage is very tender, adding additional tomato sauce as needed.

Place sour cream in a small bowl, and ladle in about 3/4 cup of tomato sauce from the cooked stuffed cabbage rolls. Whisk to combine. Add sour cream mixture back to Dutch oven, and stir to combine. Serve with additional sour cream.

Watch Martha Stewart's video.

Instructions:

In a pot of boiling water, cook cabbage until outer leaves are bright green and pliable, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from pot. Pull off 8 leaves. Trim thick core from each leaf.

In a bowl, mix pork, bread, carrot, 2 scallions, tomato paste, preserves, 1/4cup broth, sage, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place 1 cabbage leaf in a small bowl. Fill halfway with pork mixture; fold leaf over filling. Repeat with remaining leaves. Place rolls, seam sides down, in a single layer on a heatproof plate.

In a 12-inch skillet fitted with a round rack, bring 1 inch of water to a simmer over medium heat. Place plate with rolls on rack. Pour remaining 1/4 cup broth over rolls; sprinkle with remaining scallion. Cover; steam until firm, 12 to 15 minutes (add more water as needed). Serve with steaming juices and scallions.

This stuffed cabbage is filled with a mixture of ground beef, rice and seasonings and served with tomatoe sauce and mashed potatoes. Of course it's not spot-on to grandma's, but it's not bad for store bought!

Nutrition Information:
Fat - 4g
Calories - 220
Weight Watchers® Points® - 4

Many of you who follow my lenses and follow me on twitter know that I was preparing for an Easter visit by mom and her boyfriend. Well, we were all excited because mom was bringing stuffed cabbage. Unbeknownst to us though, mom BOUGHT that stuffed cabbage rather than making it.

She had found MealMart's Passover Edition at the local supermarket. It was something new and at about $11.00 for 6 stuffed cabbage rolls, she thought it would be great to surprise me, the stuffed cabbage queen. I was disappointed first that mom didn't make HER stuffed cabbage, but I was up to trying a new kind.

I won't keep you in suspense! We did NOT like this stuffed cabbage. Let me repeat myself ... We did NOT like this stuffed cabbage. The meat stuffing was dark and unrecognizable plus bland tasting. The leftover 2 rolls along with what could be scraped from our plates went outside for the cats and raccoons.

I don't recommend buying this -- but rather recommend that you try one of the recipes in this lens!

Butter Horns, Hungarian Pastry -- 5 Fabulous Recipes, Chicken Red Curry -- Thai Style!, Christmas Eggnog -- A Delicious Recipe for a Holiday Tradition, Christmas Fruitcake -- A Delicious Recipe for a Holiday Tradition, Eight Layer Salad -- A Delicious Recipe, Hot Toddy -- A Bit of Christmas Good CHEER!, I Can COOK -- A Lensography of Jaguar Julie's Food Lenses, I LOVE Balsamic Vinegar -- 8 Fabulous Recipes!, I LOVE Brussels Sprouts -- 5 Fabulous Recipes!, I LOVE Cayenne Pepper -- Do You?, I LOVE Cucumbers -- 5 Fabulous Recipes!, I LOVE Rhubarb -- 5 Fabulous Recipes!, Langos -- Traditional Hungarian Food, LIMBURGER Cheese -- Yummy or Stinky?, My Meatloaf -- A Delicious Recipe, Nut Roll -- Traditional Hungarian Pastry, Paprika -- Hungarian Spice, Polish Pierogi -- Ethnic COMFORT Food, Poppy Seed Roll -- Traditional Hungarian Pastry, Ramp and Red Potatoes -- A Delicious Recipe, SALTY or SWEET -- Which Snack do YOU Prefer?, Spicy Potato Salad -- A Delicious Recipe, STARBUCKS vs. Dunkin' Donuts -- Coffee Wars!, Sweethearts -- Heart-Shaped Candy, What is Basa?, Yellow Squash Dressing -- A Delicious Recipe

This lens has been honored with the award as Best Cooking Lens in the 2008 Giant Squid Awards Competition as sponsored by the Giant Squid Organizers.

Thank you to Bonnie, Patti, and Robin for sponsoring this contest. Special thanks to all of my supporters -- I sure do appreciate it!

Polish Stuffed Cabbage -- Jaguar Julie had this at Gauffre's Goods in St. Augustine.

Stuffed Cabbage -- Toltott Kaposzta -- Habeas Brulee made her grandmother's recipe.

Stuffed Cabbage -- Toltott Kaposzta -- Elly Zee's grandfather whipped up his recipe for stuffed cabbage in a tomato sauce with kielbasa and mashed potatoes.

Stuffed Cabbage on a Pretty Plate -- Oceandivaz.

www.marthastewart.com -- Martha loves making her Polish recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Rolls and has the best recipe for quick and easy pork stuffed cabbage rolls.

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