My mother was a terrific cook and known to many as a restaurant chef, so I laugh at myself for the number of terrific meals she would create that as a child I would not eat. One of these is Cabbage Rolls, and while I cannot remember when the tide changed, today it is one of our all-time favorite comfort foods.
Cabbage is Good for Us
Maybe someone told me that cabbage was good for me, which always seems to nix a child’s taste buds, but they wouldn’t have been wrong. Cabbage is said to be one of the first plants ever cultivated (3000 to 4000BC), and by the rise of the Roman empire, was recognized for its medicinal value to treat gout, headaches and intestinal disorders. Apparently, the Romans would even gorge on cabbage before a night of binge drinking to avoid a hangover, – but I’m told they got this wrong – I think this needs more testing? None the less, many say it was likely the Greeks who first invented this wonderful food.
Whether you call them Golabki, golubki, holubky, or stuffed cabbage, the thing I notice most about cabbage rolls is the sense of pride unveiled when someone shares their version that can usually be traced back through family history and tradition – it’s a dish that just screams warmth and togetherness, and that is probably why my mother loved them!
This recipe is a wonderful version and combines the talents of a celebrity’s mother (Martha Stewart’s late mother) and another wonderful kitchen talent, our sister in-law Janet.
Cabbage Rolls Recipe – Serves 8 (2 each and then some)
The Cabbage Leaves – Don’t get fussed about this as it is Easy Peasy
Core 1 Head of Cabbage: Use a paring knife at 45% angle and cut around the core to remove
Peeling the cabbage leaves: Boil the cored head of cabbage in a large pot of salted water. After about 4 minutes the outer leaves will begin to fall away from the head. As the leaves loosen, use tongs to remove. Continue until you have the amount needed – we had about 24 and they do get smaller throughout the process.
Use coring knife to thin out thick vine ends
Cored head of cabbage in large pot of waterBoil cored cabbagePeeling cabbage leaves – Outer cabbage leaves will fall away – remove with tongs
Cabbage Rolls – The Sauce
1 can spaghetti sauce, 1 can tomato sauce, 3 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, ladle in 1 cup of boiled cabbage water when cabbage is done
Simmer sauce on low heat
Cabbage Rolls – The Filling
mix filling in large bowl
2 medium sized cooking onions diced
4 cloves of garlic diced
Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil and butter until soft and opaque
1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb ground pork
4 cups of cooked rice – a tad undercooked is best but not a show stopper
5 celery sticks finely chopped
1 tbsp ea. salt and pepper
4 tbsp dried parsley
Cabbage roll filling
Wrapping the filling in the cabbage leaves
Starting from the large vein end, wrap filling while tucking in the sides. The amount of filling is dependent on the size of the leaf. There is no right or wrong here but be sure to wrap the filling completely.
Boiled cabbage leafWrapping the filling in cabbage leavesLayer cabbage rolls in pot
We like to line the bottom of the pot with remaining cabbage leaves saving some to cover the top
Layer cabbage rolls in your pot. We had 3 layers – could be more or could be less depending on size of pot
Pour in sauce to the top of the cabbage rolls
Cover top with remaining leaves
Sprinkle 2 diced apples over top and cover with lid
Cook on stove top at medium and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes: READY!
Cook cabbage rolls on stovetop
The 10,000 dollar question always seems to be what do you serve with cabbage rolls? Well…..there’s really no need to serve anything however we like to serve over mashed potatoes flavoured with sour cream and paired with a fruity Chianti!
Reserve 1 cup of boiled cabbage water when cabbage is done
Simmer sauce on low heat
FILLING INGREDIENTS:
2 medium sized cooking onions diced
4 cloves of garlic diced
1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb ground pork
4 cups of cooked rice – a tad undercooked
5 celery sticks finely chopped
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp pepper
4 tbsp dried parsley
TOPPING:
2 diced apples
Instructions
Cabbage Rolls - Preparation
Core 1 Head of Cabbage: Use a paring knife at 45% angle and cut around the core to remove
Peeling the leaves: Boil the cored head of cabbage in a large pot of salted water. After about 4 minutes the outer leaves will begin to fall away from the head. As the leaves loosen, use tongs to remove. Continue until you have the amount needed – we had about 24 and they do get smaller throughout the process.
Use coring knife to thin out thick vine ends
PREPARE SAUCE:
Combine sauce ingredients
Ladle in 1 cup of boiled cabbage water when cabbage is done
Simmer sauce over low heat
PREPARE FILLING:
Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil and butter until soft and opaque
Mix filling ingredients in large bowl
WRAP THE FILLING:
Wrapping the filling in the cabbage leaves
Starting from the large vein end, wrap filling while tucking in the sides. The amount of filling is dependent on the size of the leaf. Be sure to wrap the filling completely.
Line the bottom of a large pot or Dutch oven with remaining cabbage leaves saving some to cover the top
Layer cabbage rolls in your pot. We had 3 layers – could be more or could be less depending on size of pot
Pour in sauce to the top of the cabbage rolls
Cover top with remaining leaves
Sprinkle 2 diced apples over top and cover with lid
Cook on stove top at medium and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes
Nutritional information is calculated automatically using "natural language processing" within the software, and is not guaranteed to be accurate, but is a "good guess"!
My mother made cabbage rolls frequently and, for the sauce, she used her home-made chili-sauce and/or homemade ketchup, much tastier than the store-bought stuff. We always ate far more than two apiece — we were growing farm kids — so Mom always made a roaster full which might have served for two meals! Yes, we were gluttons but they were so good!
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My mother made cabbage rolls frequently and, for the sauce, she used her home-made chili-sauce and/or homemade ketchup, much tastier than the store-bought stuff. We always ate far more than two apiece — we were growing farm kids — so Mom always made a roaster full which might have served for two meals! Yes, we were gluttons but they were so good!
Thanks for sharing the recipe. I enjoy eating cabbage but I’ve never had cabbage rolls.
I’ve wanted to make cabbage rolls for years and it always sounded so hard. I’m looking forward to trying these this year! Thanks for sharing!
Do these freeze well?
You had me at cabbage.
These are delicious… I can’t wait to try this @ home…
Does anybody know whether Silver State Vapor vaping shop located in 2510 S Beltline Rd sells e-juice manufactured by HOOAH E-Liquid? I have tried sending them an email at at support@vaporimagellc.com