Polish Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Grandma

This is one of those traditional Polish meals that has to be made in certain pots or pans.  You know what I mean don't you?  Certain things HAVE to be cooked in certain pots.  I think that's part of why it tastes so good - but mostly because its tradition and cooked with love.  There are sooo many names for stuffed cabbage.  Golabki, Holubki...as long as it has an "ki" at the end, it all boils down to stuffed cabbage - Eastern European cooking.  We always called it "gawumpki".  From start to finish it takes about an hour to prepare and 3 hours to simmer or bake.  Tastes better the next day and freezes beautifully. 

You will need:

• 1 large head of cabbage
• 1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 cup rice
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped salt pork*
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 egg, beaten
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 tsp. paprika (or to taste)
• 1 Tbsp. peppercorns
• 1 - l lb. bag sauerkraut (not in a can)
• 1 - 28 oz. can whole tomatoes with juice
• 2 cans condensed tomato soup
• Secret ingredient...will be revealed below

Parboil cabbage in a large pot of simmering water, cutting leaves against the core and pull them off into the water and cook until pliable; about 5 minutes.

Let leaves cool slightly.

With a sharp knife, cut the thick membrane or stem off the back of each leaf, being careful not to cut through the leaf.

Continue simmering the cabbage and removing leaves.

Any leaves that cannot be used at the end, reserve for later.

Reserve cooking water (yes, we are being very frugal here!)

Prepare Filling:

 

Saute onions in 4 Tbsp. butter until golden.
Cook 1 cup of rice in 1 cup of water with 1 tsp. salt for about 7-8 minutes.  Just parboil the rice.
Mix ground meats with sauteed onions and add rice.  Add Worcestershire, salt and pepper and paprika.  Add cooled rice and beaten egg and mix well.  Hands come in handy.
Now we can roll:

Depending how big the leaves are, place about 1/2 cup of filling towards the end of the cabbage leaf.

Roll leaf up and over meat, fold in both sides and continue to roll into a bundle.

Rinse sauerkraut and layer in the bottom of your pot or baking pan. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. peppercorns.

Arrange stuffed cabbage snugly in the pot.

If there is any meat leftover, just form them into meatballs and add to the pot.

Mix the blended tomatoes with 2 cups reserved cooking liquid from the cabbage.  Mix the tomato soup as directed.  Pour the tomato sauce over the cabbage.  Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer.  Simmer, covered 2-1/2 to 3 hours.  If you want to bake them, bake at 325 degrees F. covered, for the same amount of time.

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.

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.

How to make the Zaprashka: Saute salt pork to render the fat and lightly brown. Add 4 Tbsp. flour together in a frying pan. Keep on medium heat and keep stirring until lightly browned.

 Slowly add about one cup of 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. 

Zaprashka is also used in Grandma's Sauerkraut

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

*Salt Pork can be found usually near the kielbasi in the meat section.  Yes it's pork fat!~

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