Stuffed Cabbage

I’ve told you before about Chef Mike Baruch and his great cookbooks like Street Food Chicago.  I just happened to come across this cookbook in Borders one day and was hooked from the get go. Here’s another of his recipes from The New Polish Cuisine.  This cookbook is outstanding with its great recipes, easy to follow directions, gorgeous photos and Chef Mike’s keen sense of humor!

 Chef Mike tells us, “Here’s my personal favorite recipe for Golabki!  …Don’t let me catch you sneaking a can of tomato soup in there.”  I’ve made stuffed cabbage before, but never as good as this! 

The mixture of ground beef and pork is a perfect meat duo for stuffed cabbage; however, what took this dish over the edge in deliciousness is the scrumptious tomato sauce topping it all.  It made the dish delectable.   I bought a really large head of cabbage which made stuffing the leaves an easy task.  They rolled up perfectly. 

I love the heartiness of this amazing dish; the way it filled me up and gave me a cozy warm feeling.  It truly hit the spot and was perfect for a chilly evening.  And I must say, it’s just as delicious leftover if you should be so lucky to have any leftover!

Ready for the oven

Now for Chef Mike's stuffed cabbage recipe:

Stuffed Cabbage

Ingredients:

1 large head green cabbage

2 quarts water

1 tablespoon sea salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1 small onion, fine diced

½ pound 85% lean ground beef

¼ pound lean ground pork

½ cup long grain rice, pre-cooked and cooled

2 tablespoons parsley, minced

½ cup tomato sauce

1 large whole egg

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 dashes Tabasco

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

1 recipe Spicy Tomato Sauce

Preparation:

1. In a large stockpot, bring the water and salt to a rolling boil, then reduce the heat to a bubbling simmer.

2. Working very carefully, remove the core from the cabbage with a sharp paring knife, cutting out bit by bit in a circular motion around the core.  Now insert as long handled two-prong roasting fork into the center of the cored cabbage (this will facilitate easier handling when moving the cabbage around).

3. Immerse the cabbage into the simmering salted water, and cook for 5-7 minutes until a few of the cabbage leaves start to separate from the cabbage head.  Carefully with a kitchen tong, remove any of the cooked leaves to a colander to thoroughly drain, and continue the process until all the leaves are cooked.  Drain and cool completely.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

5. Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat, and add the garlic and onion and cook stirring until slightly softened and golden, about 3-4 minutes.  Remove the vegetables to a small bowl, and place immediately into the freezer to quickly cool.  After 5 minutes remove from the freezer and set aside.

6. In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the remaining ingredients (including the chilled vegetables) except the spicy tomato sauce.  Now gently using a heavy wooden spoon, blend the mixture thoroughly until evenly incorporated.

7. Pick through all the cabbage leaves, creating two piles.  One for good equal sized leaves and the other for not so good leaves.  Using a sharp paring knife, gently remove from the good cabbage leaves any hard leaf stems that will impair easy rolling, and then place flatly onto a clean work surface.  Depending on leaf size, place 3-4 tablespoons of filling onto each cabbage leaf near their base.  Fold the bottom of the leaf over the filling, then fold in the sides toward the center.  Roll tightly into a bundle and place, seam side down into a medium sized shallow earthenware casserole.  Repeat with the remaining cabbage leaves and filling, being careful to roll tightly and arranging them snugly in the casserole.

8. Now gently ladle the spicy tomato sauce over the cabbage rolls, and cover tightly with a piece of aluminum foil.  Poke three small air holes down the center of the foil and bake for 1½ hours until cooked.

Serves 4

Spicy Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, sliced

1 medium red or green pepper, sliced

¾ teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1½ cups tomato sauce

1½ cups beef or chicken stock

¼ cup dry white wine

Dash of cayenne pepper

Dash of Tabasco

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

1. Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat, add the garlic, onions, and peppers and cook, stirring until softened, about 3 minutes.  Do not let the vegetables brown.

2. Now add the bay leaf and thyme and cook for exactly 1 minute to release their oils.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot and bring it to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer slowly for about 10 minutes.

Makes about 3 cups

Tip from Chef Mike:  Don’t discard any leftover blanched cabbage leaves.  Just roll them up, and cook them along with the stuffed ones for a vegetarian treat.

ENJOY!  This stuffed cabbage with the spicy tomato sauce is amazingly delicious!!!

Be sure to enter my giveaway that was posted on October 29^th!

Check out my friend, Linda’s blog, at My Kind of Cooking for her great recipes and cookbook giveaway!